The Attakkalari Public Charitable Trust of Contemporary Performing Arts was formed by artists from different disciplines in Cochin in 1992 to facilitate the development of a South Asian dance idiom. Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts (ACMA) started as a project of the Public Charitable Trust in Bangalore in 2001 as a community-oriented initiative committed to creating a context for contemporary performing arts in India. Attakkalari has a range of activities from daily classes, workshops, internships and collaborative projects, to festivals, exchange programmes, choreography laboratories and residencies across the performing arts.
1 hour Invocation
The dancers salute the eight directions and invoke the divine energies surrounding us. The invocation will be followed by Meipayattu. This piece has graceful and earthy movements based on Kerala's popular martial art form, Kalaripayattu. Soul Psalm
An attempt to converse with one's own inner thoughts, travelling through memory lane. Moving to the lovely music by Nitin Sawhney dancers carve the space with lyrical yet dynamic movements creating a visual poetry. Memories
Through interesting pedestrian movements the dancers aptly portray their manifestation in a time and space long gone. They are entrapped in memory lane, lured into their enigmatic past. The dancers move through space with their shadows as reference points. Time Line
Inspired by Indian miniature and Mughal iconography, images from this period of Indian history are brought to life. From there the dance evolves into a more contemporary manifestation of form and expression. No Way Out
From the beginning of time human beings have grappled with the conflict between what is and what could be: the struggle between the world of reality and that of individual dreams. Hidden in each of us is a voice that is unsatisfied with today. The voice emanates from the void of seemingly infinite space, never to be filled up. Many of us deny its existence. It is like looking at a photograph of someone we loved a long time ago. The sadness crowds our vulnerable moments and some of us invite insanity to liberate us from conflict, creating a reality that is safe and surreal. This disintegrated self hopes for a harmonious tomorrow. A tomorrow that could heal. Rendezvous in Jalandhar
Images of life in Jalandhar, early in the morning, inspired singer and song writer Tjinder Singh of the British Band 'Corner Shop' and Attakalari's young dancers. Reflections
Working towards a fresh language in contemporary movement arts, choreographer Jayachandran Palazhy and the dancers from Attakkalari bring together the earthiness and precision of Indian physical traditions and the freedom of contemporary dance. 'Reflections' is an exploration of cultural memories that are formed over a period of time with civilisational lineages. The piece dissects a small section of the whole of information available, highlighting the intersections of trajectories of human thought and imagination. Capoeira
A Brazilian martial art-cum-dance developed by Africans who were brought to South America as slaves. When they were banned from any kind of fighting using their hands, let alone weapons, they developed a fighting technique using their legs as an instrument of combat. This technique was disguised as dance. Artistic Director - Jayachandran Palazhy Dancers
Abhilash Ningappa Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts
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