Dance and the details

The second edition of the Indo-French festival of contemporary dance, DanSe DialogueS concluded on Wednesday with an elaborate discussion on 'Locating Dance in India Today: between tradition and contemporaneity'. The discussion was conducted and led by the cultural theorist, Alka Pande. 

The discourse included an exchange of theories and thoughts on the various forms of traditional Indian dances and the amalgamation of the traditional and contemporary styles. 

The dialogue was a fitting occasion to comprehend the evolving dance scene in India with noted speakers including choreographer and photographer Shobha Deepak Singh, Dance writer Leela Venkatraman, arts editor-cultural journaist-photographer, speaker and lights designer Sadanand Menon, Bharatnatyam dancer and pianist Justin McCarthy and singer, dancer, researcher and author Deepti Omchery Bhalla. 

The past decade and more has witnessed much transformation of the cultural scenario in the country in practically every domain. The second edition of the festival DanSe DialogueS provided a pretext and context to dissect and explore this with people who have keenly observed and studied the growth of dance in India. The conversation segment focused on the dynamics and refrains of the richly evolving dance scenario and its future. 

Shobha Deepak Singh's book, Dancescapes: A Photographic Journey was also on display during the occasion. 

DanSe DialogueS is a contemporary dance platform in India. Its first edition took place in November 2011 in New Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore and brought together more than 7500 spectators in these three cities. The festival is dedicated to promoting the richness and diversity of Indian and French contemporary dance, fostering collaboration between French and Indian professionals in this field while popularizing contemporary forms of expression among the Indian public.

During its second edition, DanSe DialogueS featured French choreographers and Indo-French collaborations touring 7 cities (Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Trivandrum) to present their productions, alongside Indian dance companies. DanSe DialogueS activities range from performances, talks, master classes, screenings and exchanges of French and Indian dance techniques and forms to create original collaborative pieces.