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Abstract and appealing
ONE OF the basic things about being modern and contemporary is in the free expression — which also means that it is purely subjective. Open to interpretation. So you could call Navtej Johar either mad or a genius. For many, the two figures on stage going through the movements ranging from the mundane to the esoteric, could well be baffling, the intense thought process behind such exercises notwithstanding.
But let us not forget that Navtej is trained in Bharatanatyam and is also a yoga expert. His work ranges from the classical to the contemporary. He is the artistic director of Studio Abhyas, New Delhi. And while one may not have the exact thoughts as him on what he did at the Music Academy at the instance of the British Council this past week, it was something unique.
He had with him Jemima Headley from the U.K. in a collaborative effort called "ReMembering", which in effect was a sharing of influences in theatre and dance. Jemima is trained in transpersonal psychology and dance theatre. She has performed and taught at the Laban Center in London and throughout the U.K., Ireland, North Central, South America and Japan.
So what did they remember through the one hour presentation? Many things — ranging from casual walks, early childhood, coffee at Soho and many other things that remain like a jumbled mass of thoughts, emotions and reactions. All this through brief texts, conversations and movements.
Providing another dimension were the video projections (directed by Sunil Mehra) and the lighting (Gautam Pande) that strangely gave their actions on stage a multidimensional effect. And not to forget the music (various artistes including Atom Heart, Brian Eno, Max, Nagi, Meredith Monk, Steve Reich, Shrin Neshat and Sussan Deyhim), which was beautiful, monotonous, haunting and often repetitive. A mix that seemed to fit itself into what the dancers sought to project.
Jemima and Navtej met in London in 1999 and a long distance communication via the electronic mail led to a set of virtual studio dates. Material and ideas developed and the process that began in July 2000, culminates in the world premier in New Delhi and further performances across India and the U.K. "Islands of counter orbit remember and re-member the body in the arena of cyberspace where the www displaces human interactions exciting speedy and fractured identifications. Fantasy becomes more real than real and reality is arrested by curiosity.''
Ideas were abstract and not exactly in the routine line of thinking. Neither was the dance, for that matter. The movements were all indicative of rigorous training in terms of flexibility, agility and control. It took a while to sink into the mind, which is sometimes so conditioned by the routine and the obvious. But the best part was that the programme started as per schedule and wound up in exactly one hour. That was indeed most heartening.
CHITRA MAHESH
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