Preview: Sankai Juku

Dance means different things to different people. To some, it is ballet or  classical dance forms full of graceful movements.  To some, it is an expression of their reaction to music- hip-hop, jazz dance, tap dance,etc.  To others like me who are not so graceful or particularly born to dance, it is a fun way to  exercise. And to some, like Sankai Juku’s founder Ushio Amagatsu, it is butoh.

Ushio Amagatsu
Ushio Amagatsu

According to Amagatsu, the dance form of butoh represents “a dialogue with gravity”.  Be it ballet, hip-hop, Irish dance or any other dance, gravity defying movements are a huge focus of modern-day dance. But butoh is about “sympathisizing with gravity” (to quote Amagatsu) and thus it comprises of entirely different set of movements.

What I feel Sankai Jukus butoh symbolises- the call of gravity
What I feel Sankai Juku's butoh symbolises- embracing the call of gravity

Sankai Juku will be performing the work “Hibiki: resonance from Far Away”, at the Power Center this weekend. Be prepared for stunning imagery and some inventive and impressive choreography.

Show times:

Saturday, October 23 | 8 pm
Sunday, October 24 | 2 pm

Power Center

Tickets @ the Michigan League Ticket Office; more info on the UMS webpage

Preview: “Angika:Sculpture & the Dancing Body” @ UMMA today

It is always interesting when two art forms come together. It is quite something else when three forms come together- sculpture, dance and poetry!

In ANGIKA, the extremely exquisite and well-thought out details of sculptures in India help derive the style of dance for today’s performance. In India, the temples are not only places of worship but also places where you can find  some of the best sculptures and art.

Example of Indian Sculpture- Statue of Nataraja from Thanjavur Big Temple

In Indian sculpture, there are so many dancing figures and Lord Shiva, the celestial dancer and the Destoyer, one of the Trinity,  was depicted as dancing (as can been seen in the image above).

Using the lovely Odissi style of dance from India, well known dancer  Shreyashi Dey and dancers from her academy, Srishti Dances of India come together to perform from a script by poet Zilka Joseph. Odissi is a very old dance form that needs a lot of training, especially with the facial expressions.

What: ANGIKA: Sculpture & the Dancing Body

When: Saturday, March 20,2010 7.30 pm

Where: Helmut Stern Auditorium, University of Michigan Museum of Art

FREE admission!

View the poster for the event at http://artsonearth.umich.edu/events/images/AngikaPoster.pdf

So what am I looking forward to in this performance? A lovely colourful evening where it is a treat for all my senses. I would love to see how poetry is set to dance and what sculptures come to life. Come join me at UMMA today to celebrate an Indian art form that is centuries old!

For [art]seen,

Krithika