This May, Riverside Parramatta will present a triple bill entitled "Lineage", which sees Indian and Indigenous dancers explore contemporary dance via the medium of traditional dance forms. The program includes works by emerging Indian dancers Aruna Gandhimathinathan and Shruti Ghosh, recent NAISDA graduate and Wiradjuri and Bundjalung man Thomas E.S Kelly and Indigenous dancer, performance artist, choreographer and performance theorist Tammi Gissell.
Gissell will present A Dip For Narcissus, a short dance work inspired by the Greek myth of Narcissus, who became so enamoured with his reflection that he drowned in a pool of water while gazing at his reflection.
First developed in 2007 for Kinetic Energy Theatre Company, A Dip For Narcissus examines the role of reflection in the formation of self-identity through significant moments in the artist’s life where her own reflection has informed, misled or outright betrayed. She asks ‘can I trust what I see, even when it’s me?’
Kelly’s Dark Dream, a fusion of both contemporary and Indigenous motifs, will be performed by Thomas and Carl Tolentino. Dark Dream explores the realm of sleep, where nothing is in your command and the mind deals with the fears and frights that haunt the subconscious.
In Nritya Roopa Gandhimathinathan and Ghosh will experiment with the unusual weaving together of two Indian classical dance forms, Bharatanatyam (South India) and Kathak (North India).
Gandhimathinathan and Ghosh will explore the various facets of two forms that are rarely seen together, sharing an insight into the style, technique, rhythmic movements and the art of storytelling showcased by the two distinct styles.
Gandhimathinathan and Ghosh will return to the stage to close the production, with the premiere of a collaborative dance work created with the Indian musician Prabhu Osoniqs, who will play the unique Swiss instrument the “hang”. An interesting instrument that has been around for about ten years, the hang is both percussive and melodic, offering a unique starting point for Kathak and Bharatanatyam dance to merge.
Nritya Roopa. Photo: Annalouise Paul
