THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As an art form, contemporary dance is a flexible one that can be bent to your taste. Raising a new generation of dancers, Kochibased The Floor studio’s fourth edition of Dance A’Fair brings varied genres to enlarge the vocabulary of enthusiasts in the city.
“We choose diverse styles after looking into how they can take a leap into contemporary choreography,” says Arunima Gupta, the artistic director of the studio. As the two-day bash features workshops in forms including West Bengal’s chhau dance and performances from big names like zumba expert Sucheta Pal (recipient of the First Ladies award from President Ram Nath Kovind), we talk to a few exemplary figures who’ll rock the dancefloor. On June 2-3. At JTPAC and Crowne Plaza,Kochi.
Megha Khatri
There’s no better instructor for flexibility training than this Pune-based danseuse. An expert on Latin dances like salsa and bachata, she has won competitions including Asia Open Salsa Professional Championship in 2017 through her self-evolved training regime. “I’ve been practising yoga since childhood and am a certified instructor. Over the years, I’ve also learned gymnastics when I got into competing four years back,” says Megha, who started her nine-year-long dancing career and has trained with international maestros like Alien Ramirez. Her workshops will certainly be of fancy to lovers of Latin dances which have found takers after the recent advent of dance-reality shows.
Alex Diaz
It’s been over a decade since this Cuban-American moved to India. Visiting Kochi for the first time, Alex and his company Furor Entertainment has definitely played their part in creating Salsa socials in cities including Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. Approaching the style as a ‘fusion genre’, his personal practice reflects on his influences. “I draw a lot of inspiration from Afro-Cuban Folkloric dances like guaguanco and yambu and also from Cuban traditions like yoruba. Other sources of inspiration include jazz and flamenco to name a few,” says Alex, informing that his session in the city will focus on imparting a sound foundation on which participants can build on.
Shreenath Muthalya
It’s all about storytelling for this Hyderabad-based choreographer. Trained at places including New York’s Peridance Capezio Center, he has performed at venues like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. His studies of the art has even extended to eccentric forms like the whirling of dervishes. He’s, without question, a winner in bringing different art forms together. “Dance and cinema are mediums that I chose to tell compelling stories from different corners of the world. My interest also lies in investigating the relationship between movement and film,” says Shreenath, whose film Padam has fetched much critical acclaim. His workshops will focus on ballet, contemporary dancing and dramaturgy.
