BENGALURU: There’s no language as universal as dance. With an aim to bring the world closer, an international dance festival called the Sanskar festival will be held soon. Taking the virtual route, the second edition of the programme will happen from August 10-16. The show will have performances and talks by artistes from across the world, including countries like Malta, Congo and Zimbabwe. “All the content will be ready beforehand and we will share something different each day,” says festival manager Mirra.
Though putting together a virtual show comes with its own set of constraints – like maintaining a connection with the audience or keeping a single camera angle – Mirra is still optimistic about the idea. “We have already got around 45 entries and since these are from different countries, viewers can be exposed to different kinds of dance,” says 41-year-old Mirra. While it focuses primarily on contemporary dance, it is open to other dance forms too, with this year’s theme being ‘Challenging uncertainty’. The last date for entries is July 26.
The festival is crowdfunded and also intends to raise funds for contemporary dancers. “All sectors have been affected due to the pandemic but there is nothing being done for these artistes,” says Mirra, who has been practising contemporary dance for 18 years now. For city-based dancer, Ronita Mookerji, the opportunity provided a platform to perform again.
“We’ve been confined to Zoom meetings or online practices. We don’t have anywhere to perform,” says Mookerji, whose entry video is a duet with Malta-based Gaby Davies. The two shot their parts individually in their respective countries and will edit it to make it seem like one video. “Our piece revolves around the pandemic situation in the world. For instance, the situation is different in Gaby’s country as opposed to India,” says Mookerji.
This festival has already gained popularity among international dancers. “We have co-founders from Belgium, Switzerland and Russia. So the festival is equally theirs as much as it is ours,” says Mirra, who adds that the first edition in Goa in January saw 65 dancers from different parts of the world.
Diane Gemsch: Through her performance, this Switzerland-based artiste hopes other dancers will feel encouraged to go beyond their limits and explore the freedom of movement
David Zambrano: Hailing from the Netherlands, he will talk about dance as a medium of expression
Ronita Mookerji: This Bengaluru-based artiste has been inspired by Bharatnatyam and Indian martial arts
Gaby Davies: A European contemporary dancer from Malta, she will include Yoga moves in her dance
Noemie Cuerel: Switzerland-born contemporary dancer, known for her fluid movements