Dance / attam intensive in sout asian forms
~The Programme
~Accomodation and fees
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South Asian dance and martial arts forms are increasingly recognised as a huge resource for dancers and theatre practitioners working across disciplines (see for example Tim Supple’s hugely successful ‘Indian Dream’). They offer a combination of dynamic foot rhythms and intricate eye and hand movements with a highly developed narrative convention - all drawn from India’s incredible religious and epic heritage. This residency will offer you the opportunity to learn new or develop existing skills, experiment with new ideas and reflect on your work in a completely different context.
The residency caters for artists at all stages of familiarity with South Asian dance forms - whether you are an absolute beginner, wish to refresh your skills, or are a professional looking for a time to focus uninterrupted on your training.
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The three weeks intensive training will be led by expert tutors, including artists from the world renowned Kerala Kalamandalam. The training will focus on the classical dance style Bharathanatyam, with a daily class appropriate to your level of experience. In addition there will be the opportunity to explore other Indian dance theatre forms such as Kathakali and Ottanthullal (a form focused around clear narratives and humour), to study the principles of South Indian percussion, and on a lighter note, to try out your skills at Bollywood Dance.
The residency is open to a maximum of 6 dancers/ creators. To apply, please send a C.V and a short paragraph explaining why you wish to participate to the email address listed below.
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The Venue
The venue for the residency is the peaceful village of Pynkulam in the middle of Kerala. Tiny and unspoilt, surrounded by paddy fields, life in the village offers a complete break from the bustle of urban living, as well as an insight into an India the average tourist very rarely sees.
All of the dance and movement classes take place within an old fashioned ‘kudil’ or thatched, mud floored hut – giving participants a cool, natural space in which to rehearse.
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The Programme
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Daily Classes
Each participant will do two classes each day.
The first class will be a warm up for the day drawing on movements from Kalarippayatt and Yoga, leading to a group ‘groundings’ class focused on adavus, the building blocks of Bharathanatyam technique. In the second class, the participants will be divided into groups according to their level of experience. The focus of the second class will be to learn a full bharathanatyam dance piece.
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Twice weekly
There will be twice weekly workshops in South Indian percussion to give an understanding of the rhythmic principles behind the dance
Bollywood dance - with one of the leading masters in filmi dance for budding cine artists
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Other Activities
There will be two separate workshop/ demonstrations of Kathakali and Ottanthullal.
There will also be the opportunity for participants to visit local dance schools and watch performances of Bharathanatyam, Mohiniyattam and Kathakali by local artistes.
In addition there is obviously the option of simply enjoying the local environment, with its river, its gorgeous paddy fields and ancient temples.
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Accommodation
Participants will be accommodated in the village within 10 minutes walk of the residency centre. The accommodation consists of village houses to be shared between 3- 4 participants with individual bedrooms and a shared bathroom and kitchen. There is a fan in each bedroom and bed linen and mosquito nets are provided.
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Food
The food (breakfast, lunch and dinner) will be provided at the residency centre will consist of traditional Malayali fare. All food will be vegetarian.
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Fee
The residency fee is £ 600 including all activities, accommodation and food. additional £ 100 for research and development.
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