Paul Taylor in India - Pt 2

 

Paul Taylor's "Prime Numbers" (1997). Photo: Howard Schatz

I have not had the wherewithal to take any pictures appropos this blog, since landing back in Mumbai, but it seems appropriate to share this image from "Prime Numbers" which was created in honor of the Taylor company's tour to India in 1997. The image has little to do with the actual dance, but there is a sense of the crowded, somewhat chaotic nature of life in Mumbai.

Perceptions of ourselves and what we may or may not know, is an ongoing part of learning. In just three short days of teaching ballet AND modern classes back-to-back to the same dancers, clear connections and divergences become evident. My observations of how the dancers approach and execute one excercise readily directs my choices for the next exercise. For example, in ballet class, we have been exploring articulation of the hips, knees, ankles in the different actions of weight transference, while using port de bras and arm placement as active, physical stabilizers. In modern we get to explore how the use of the spine changes the shape and articulation of the legs and arms without losing the sense of balance in oppositional forces. 

I don't speak directly to the dancers in exactly these terms, but helping them to find where to focus their attention in each exercise has been my impetus for my choices of each progressive exercise. My imagery in class is drawn from my observations of things that seem more common or explicit within the culture I experience around me while here in India. 

It has always fascinated me the fast pace and self awareness that pedestrians and drivers on Mumbai streets maintain. With very few traffic lights, most intersections are a battle of will as the most agile and assertive usually passes through, whether that is a pedestrian, rickshaw, motorcycle, auto, or truck. If dancers can bring this awareness into their classroom practice, I am usually impressed at their spatial awareness when dancing in crowded classes and limited space. 

Gesture in Taylor vocabulary is very important, and Indian classical dance forms utilize mudras (symbolic hand and finger combinations) intrisically. Once again, it is impressive to see dancers being able to layer attention to the gestural articulation of their hands and feet as an extension of their bodies in ballet and modern dance forms.

Similarly, Indian music (classical and contemporary) is polyrhythmic by nature, and tieing the relationship of movement to specific rhythmic forms in Western, Euro-centric styles helps the dancers make sense differentiating between things like triplets, waltzes, Balancés, pas de basques, et cetera. For me, dance is a visualization of rhythm, whether in consort or in counterpoint to the music to which it accompanies. 

I have hired a local percussionist, Sameer, to play for my modern classes, and we have been having an amazing time exploring the similarities, differences and challenges of bringing the dancers along on a rhythmic exploration of movement. He is not familiar with playing for modern dance class, yet he is highly sensitive to reacting to the dancers. This empathy for how a musician sees movement in dancers relative to what they are playing is such a valuable attribute when working with accompanists!

I will try to add some visuals to my next post about being here in Mumbai teaching dance!