The special contemporary dance art festival ‘Ahsas’ at St Andrews in Bandra on Thursday is bound to raise eyebrows. Its theme ‘skin trade’ looks at the horrors of child sexual abuse and trafficking.
The special contemporary dance art festival ‘Ahsas’ at St Andrews in Bandra on Thursday is bound to raise eyebrows. Its theme ‘skin trade’ looks at the horrors of child sexual abuse and trafficking.
Organised on the eve of World Dance Day, creative director and founder of Expressions Modern Dance Company Sumeet Nagdev says, “Dance is my grammar and the way I find expression about my thoughts and reflections on any issue.”
He wonders why more people are not angry about the fact that as many as a million children are trapped in child prostitution in a country which wants to count itself among the superpowers. Much of this radical thought seems to have translated in the fast paced moves and emotional music of the piece that pitches loss of innocence and trauma against greed and lust.
‘Skin trade’ tracks the objectification of a girl child that starts from conception, repeated sexual abuse as a child, being sold into flesh trade, the temporary euphoria of the illusion of freedom to a tragic, early death. The inspiration for the ballet came from one of his students, who works with international NGOs that help victims of child trafficking.
The choreography is both violent and graphic. It involves physical intimacy between the dancers and necessitates a level of maturity. “I want to shake the audience out of its stupor,” says Nagdev.
“We were also a bit apprehensive, when we were told about the theme, but after seeing how it has been choreographed overall, we realise that our fears were misplaced,” says Rachita Umakanthan, 20, who plays the central character.
Ahsas will bring together choreographies of contemporary Bharatanatyam exponent Lata Surendra, late Pt Narendra Sharma, Tripura Kashyap, Bharat Sharma, and Gregory Hancock. It will also include a solo by Nagdev and a performance by his troupe on the commodification of women.
Hans Balaka, choreographed in 1940 with distinct Balinese influences under the tutelage of legend Uday Shankar, will also be presented. Tripura Kashyap’s Oceans looks at the relation between God and His creation and Metro by Bharat Sharma picturises scenes along the lifeline of the metro and its impact on the city.
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