Below the Edge by ASTAD DEBOO
30 July 2019 Performance - LIMINAL
31 July 2019 Conversation – Astad Deboo with Sadanand Menon & Padmini Chettur
The viewer-performer relationship acquires a new dimension as ace dancer-choreographer Astad Deboo takes the stage at Goethe-Institut to present a solo performance, Liminal: Below the Edge, in a visual presentation which is unlike the common. This up, close and personal site-specific minimalistic work deals with the turmoil, unrest and uncertainty we are experiencing today. The music has been composed by Michael Brook, Paul Giger and the late U Srinivas.
Deboo's performance has been created to explore different parts of the space. As the dancer moves in slow pulses the shadows speak to him about the stillness of time and the reason for balance. The echoes of sound and his eyes that blink choreographed to rhythm keep the body still and the heart mercurial. "A lot of work that I do is very controlled. If I am raising a leg, the viewer [in an intimate set-up] can see the movement vividly. It's an experience for the audience to see the performer up close," shares Deboo.
Astad Deboo’s name is synonymous with Contemporary Indian Dance, a style that he pioneered at a time when innovations in Indian dance were not welcomed. Astad Deboo has received two prestigious awards from the Government of India: in 1995, the Creative Dance Award from ‘Sangeet Natak Akamedi’ and in 2007, ‘Padma Shri’ as a pioneer in Contemporary Indian Dance. Astad Deboo’s dynamic dance career enters 50 years this year and includes performances in over 72 countries as solo, group and collaborative choreography with performing artists internationally. This includes performances for the Royal Family of Bhutan, Japan, Sweden, Thailand, the Presidents of India, at Lepra, an organization which looks after lepers of India and Africa at Chelsea Town Hall, with Pink Floyd. Deboo was also commissioned by Pierre Cardin to choreograph a solo for Bolshoi ballerina, Maia Plissetskaia, and invited by Pina Bausch to be an apprentice with the Wuppertal Tanz Theatre, Germany. Deboo has performed in dance and arts festivals in the UK, France, Netherland, Mexico, Hong Kong, Brazil, Chile, Spain, Indonesia, Taipei, Sweden, and India.
Astad describes his style as ‘contemporary in vocabulary and traditional in restraints.’ His stunning signature style has evolved from energetic and entertaining, to minimalist and introspective, from the narrative to the abstract and is characterized by intense focus, concentration and technical virtuosity along with a distinctively Indian aesthetic of evoking rasa (emotion). Similar to Astad Deboo’s energy in providing a platform for Manipuri artists from India’s largely neglected Northeast, his humanistic social vision with the highest aesthetic standards inspires his creative choreography over the past twenty years with the deaf. Deboo’s work with the deaf challenges youth to achieve his meditative and minimalist style where he recognizes them as artists and builds their self-confidence.
On seeing Astad, one is reassured that an artist needs to escapade many contemporary barriers to be able to perform one. His significant legacy offers innovative models for younger Indian artists whom he exhorts with characteristic clarity: ‘to be contemporary Indian dancers, we must be Indian contemporary’, not simply imitate the west. ‘Indian contemporary’ idioms evolve from India’s rich expressive traditions along with openness to intercultural and cross-disciplinary interactions in today’s globalized world.
Back
