Movement Festival of Kerala debuts in Kochi with a showcase of contemporary dance performances from India and abroad

When the curtains spell up connected the archetypal variation of the four-day planetary modern creation festival, Movement Festival of Kerala (MFOK), connected November 27, astatine the Kerala Fine Arts Hall, it would beryllium the fruition of a imagination for dancers/choreographers Sreejith P, Paris Laxmi and Abhilash VS to make a abstraction for modern creation successful Kerala. One wherever modern creation is understood arsenic a signifier and not simply a amusement of athleticism and carnal flexibility that it is perceived as. 

And astatine the halfway of MFOK is BOHO, a assemblage of modern dancers the 3 dancers created. The 3 person been collaborators since 2021 erstwhile Sreejith called Laxmi to sermon this idea, of a assemblage and a imaginable collaboration for it. That resulted successful BOHO. Abhilash is besides a dancer and 1 of Sreejith’s students. 

Although Laxmi has made her sanction arsenic an Indian classical dancer, she is trained successful jazz, ballet and flamenco, which she teaches successful Kochi. A level similar BOHO was an accidental she had been wanting. “It arrived erstwhile I was desperately looking for different avenues to research dance. If I had not recovered them [Sreejith and Abhilash], I would person done thing myself,” says Laxmi laughing. Earlier this year, successful February, Laxmi’s Maatr Art Foundation hosted a creation festival that showcased assorted creation forms including Indian classical. 

Sreejith had been reasoning of a assemblage similar BOHO for respective years. A seasoned choreographer, helium speaks of providing opportunities to young dancers that helium ne'er had erstwhile helium was young and starting his travel successful dance.

“Space, clip and opportunities were the things that I did not get, but I wanted to alteration that. I privation youngsters and those funny to get the vulnerability and chances I did not person successful the 1980s-90s,” says Sreejith, champion known for his caller choreography for the Malayalam movie Moonwalk. It was thing that ever came up successful his conversations with chap performers — dancers and choreographers. Abhilash was 1 specified person. 

“I started reasoning otherwise astir dance. And that thought process made maine deliberation of conceptual choreography erstwhile it comes to modern dance. That is, our choreography and signifier beryllium specified that we talk of modern issues done dance. Give it the prime of a theatre production, of carnal theatre, for instance,” says Sreejith, besides known arsenic Sreejith Dazzler and has trained astatine Attakalari, Bengaluru. He has a creation studio, Dazzlers successful Kochi. 

BOHO became a world post-COVID; its enactment includes conducting workshops and seminars too signifier productions.  “It is simply a abstraction for artists: writers, choreographers, creation directors, actors… you sanction it. It is intended arsenic a created abstraction for them,” adds Abhilash. Earlier, learning modern creation meant having to question to Bengaluru, Goa oregon Mumbai, helium adds. BOHO has been capable to get choreographers to Kochi, providing dancers successful the State, entree to immoderate of the champion successful the field.  

As of present they bash not person a carnal abstraction and BOHO is being ‘hosted’ by Aal Studio astatine Valanjamabalam. It is simply a imagination that they anticipation to realise but arsenic a residency successful bid for visiting artists. So acold it has facilitated 60-odd modern creation workshops with choreographers from India and abroad.

Although BOHO has not hosted a festival before, it has enactment up 2 productions: Transcendance, Laxmi’s archetypal with the community, staged successful 2022, and ‘The Hope Song’ by AR Rahman arsenic portion of Aadujeevitham promotions successful 2024.

MFOK is their archetypal specified attempt, connected this scale, with which they anticipation to familiarise the assemblage with modern creation arsenic a superior practice, similar immoderate different classical creation form. 

Drawing an analogy with the classical creation forms, Sreejith says, “Take Kathakali, for instance. One’s learning and familiarity with it makes for heightened appreciation…it is similar that with modern dance. And that acquisition is gained by watching performances. We are trying to make consciousness astir it oregon educate.” 

It is not conscionable the facet of performance, “We privation a displacement successful the cognition of creation wherever the assemblage plays a much progressive oregon alternatively interactive role,” adds Abhilash. He speaks of audiences astatine creation performances elsewhere questioning the dancers, wanting to cognize much astir either the show oregon the thought process down a dancer’s take, “As dancers we cannot execute successful a vacuum, assemblage feedback makes the dancer think, find applicable answers…” 

They person experimented with presenting a choreography otherwise during workshops and consequent performances. One of those was having the performers determination among the audience, making them a portion of the show.  They adjacent had the performers beryllium among the audience. These are aboriginal days, but they are opitimistic.  

The trio speaks of a superior attack to the signifier arsenic opposed to what passes disconnected arsenic modern creation performed to Bollywood music. “It is perchance the power of world shows and television, which is unavoidable these days. We privation creation to beryllium thought provoking, ” says Sreejith. “There is simply a batch much to modern creation than the moves…” 

Laxmi adds, “There are antithetic styles of it. Research, an knowing of the civilization and inheritance are important. That elevates the experience!” 

Movement Festival of Kerala is from November 27 to November 30, astatine Fine Arts Hall and JTPac; tickets connected indiaeve.com