NEW NOTIONS IN CLASSICAL DANCE

Dance for Umesh is not just about the “how” of a movement but also the “what” behind it. He says: “The process of making a choice in a movement is from the intellect to the physical, as well as from the emotional to the spiritual.”

For Umesh, it is imperative to gain a solid foundation in the genres of dance first. “Then, it’s about what moves you,” he says.

“At the very heart or inner space of every dancer is that desire to use your deepest emotions and nothing else, as the only language of your expression,” adds the Kuala Lumpur native as he runs his fingers through his luscious pepper-andsalt mane.

This, he explains, is inline with the upcoming show’s theme and title

“It’s conversations with the dance genres. Usually, the repertoire is concerned about the various sections, like in odissi it starts with

and then

In the premiere show, there will be no stops between the sequences so it builds on an awareness of the movements, of an expansion of the vocabulary within the genre.

“That’s what I am aiming for with all the genres,” says Umesh of the upcoming performances.

Those well versed in Indian dance art forms will realise the subtle transformations, although dance lovers in general will appreciate the various movements and interpretations.

Shonabushani The versatile choreographer hopes that the premiere of the dance company will help bring the classical Indian dances closer to a wider audience, as the bill crosses genre boundaries.

“While and dances have a night’s performance to their genres, because of live music accompaniment, the odissi and contemporary repertoires will be performed in a single night,” he says.

Besides Umesh, other choreographers contributing to the works are Mavin Khoo, James Kan, Paramita Maitra, Ng and Mohammad Khairi.

Guest artistes include Nadina Krishnan, N. Shree Vidya and Rohini Shetty.

“It is ultimately a group of performers who want to work and create inspiring and moving works of art together from the innermost centres of their being, and hopefully it will also touch the inner space of the audience,” says Umesh with a subtle glint in his eyes.