Less dance, more adda

Performance by Shadhona at EMK Center

31 October 2012, 18:00 PM

Karim Waheed

As the city was waking up from Eid/Puja hangover, Shadhona: a Centre for Advancement of South Asian Culture staged a performance on October 30. The performance, titled “Adda, na ki naach?”, kicked off a series created by Shadhona for the Edward M Kennedy Center in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. According to a press release provided by Shadhona, the goal of this initiative is to “provide our community with access to new directions in performance and to highlight the important role that young artistes play in the enhancement of our cultural life and traditions.” What set the production apart was its use of space -- more like experimenting with the performance space -- and direct interaction between the performers and the audience. Adda (informal conversation) or dance? The answer was provided by what the performance offered. Choreographers Amit Chowdhury, Shabbir Ahmed Khan and noted danseuse Lubna Marium (who came up with the concept and was the artistic director) decided to narrate stories. Narrating stories through dance -- a concept as old as time. But these narratives morphed into “adda”, as they were all too familiar -- a young dancer's depression as she witnesses her parents arguing and eventually separating over her dance lessons, puppy love, reminiscing childhood, fears, traffic ordeal -- and this familiarity combined with an intimate setting allowed the audience to interact and share their stories as well. Through this interaction, several social issues like gender role stereotypes, growing up in an urban jungle without access to playgrounds and need for taking a breather in a stressful environment were addressed as well. Egged on by the young performers (similar to a comedy club setting), members of the audience shared personal stories, opinions and did some salsa dancing. As adda, this production was successful but was it really dance? It was dance in the most minimalist and basic sense. Interpretive dance would be the most appropriate label for this. There were elements of jazz, urban contemporary, hip-hop and aerial dance. Dancers are not known for their verbal eloquence so can't hold that against them. The performances however, couldn't make an impact. They lacked refinement. They communicated but didn't impress. There could be several reasons -- movements limited by lack of space, not enough experience, slippery floor… This should be encouraged as an experimental production. Without more such shows and experiences, young dancers won't have a solid foundation. Kudos to Shadhona for highlighting up and coming dancers and experimenting with dance forms -- something all dance troupes should take note of.