CHENNAI: I magine moving across a room slowly and as you move your hands through the wind, you analyse and concentrate on every part of the movement — from the shoulders to the elbows and down to the fingers. The flow of movement is interesting to analyse. We talk to Arka Mukhopadhyay, a performer and teacher from Kolkatat will be in the city this weekend to conduct a workshop on what he calls ‘Stheeradhaara’.
Although he had been a part of theatre ever since his school days, Arka says he took it up seriously only in 2003. His search for a sense of the human self, took him to different places. “In the process of trying to go deeper into the craft of the actor, I turned to Kalaripayattu and yoga. So the journey of being a performer has really been about trying to understand what it means to be human,” he explains.
How exactly did he find himself with theatre? “What an actor does, in essence, is to be totally present, in the here and now. So it is necessary for us to understand what that really means. It is about how one can be completely truthful, vulnerable, and also spiritually naked. You have to confront yourself,” he says.
It is important to know and understand oneself — as a unique and separate individual. And through this process, one is then able to create their own capabilities, creativity, intelligence etc. “It is beneficial to everybody, across all age groups, because it creates an open space for a person to explore his or her own space of creativity and joy,” he assures.
‘Stheeradhaara’ means stillness and flow. The workshop will look into different aspects such as breathings, rhythm, sound, movement, demonstrations etc to further study and explore the context of these in our life practices. Sharing insights from his own practice on how a performer accesses the state of inner emptiness, by listening, watching, non-judging space, a space of equipoise, Arka will be conducting the workshop over the weekend.
“I will also focus on how one can enter into a state of flow — a state where we connect with ourselves and with everything that’s around us, where we are able to transcend blocks, inhibitions, and be in a genuinely creative and playful space. The work will be embodied, challenging, yet joyful,” he says.
‘Stheeradhaara’ will be held on November 26 from 10 am onwards at Wandering Artist, RA Puram.
For details, call: 7411568663