Initiate, Transform, Sustain, Reach Out

Post Natyam Collective Members Reflect on Long-Distance Collaboration

A poem…
… that is part of Cynthia’s artbook, Harassing the Sanskrit Heroine, was exhibited at the art installation, Trace, as part of the Instruments of Risk series at Sea and Space Explorations Gallery, Los Angeles CA in November 2009. The poem ]wrist[ is loosely inspired by Kahe Rukata, a traditional thumri (light classical Hindustani song-form) attributed to Bindadin Maharaj.

]wrist[
a delicate bandage a bone a twiggy little snap. oh slim white stab of a waist unwrapped. blackened sweet. a virgin chocolate bar crinkles her glittery skirt but such a disapproving purse. disapproving she twists her bittermelon mouth splitting shut. oh. oh oh no. white hot mirchi stops dead in her tracks. cut red. a rough and ready grab, a wolf whistling fist, an iron bangle tapping her curved rear.

 …becomes a dance film…
… by Anjali Tata that was screened at the lecture-demonstration, Post Natyam Unveiled as part of the Khmer Arts Salon Series at the Khmer Arts Academy, Long Beach CA, 5/10 and with live tabla accompaniment at Moving Beyond Form, Asian Arts Initiative, Philadelphia PA, 2/10.

Video: ]wrist[

…which is projected on a live performer’s body…
… as part of the live dance piece, Ranri (widow/courtesan) (solo version), choreographed and performed by Shyamala Moorty as part of DISHA at the Rabindranath Tagore Centre, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Kolkata, India, 8/10.

Video: Ranri (widow/courtesan) – excerpt from solo version // password: ranri

… and whose choreography performed as a live video feed

… in The Thorn, the Leaf, and the Butterfly, choreographed by Shyamala Moorty with Cynthia Ling Lee and Anjali Tata, performed at universities and theaters throughout the US, including the National Asian American Theater Festival, Los Angeles CA (6/11) and University of Wisconsin-Madison (4/11).

Video: The Thorn, the Leaf, and the Butterfly (excerpt) // password: thorn

Cynthia Ling Lee, Sandra Chatterjee ( 2012): Initiate, Transform, Sustain, Reach Out. Post Natyam Collective Members Reflect on Long-Distance Collaboration. In: p/art/icipate – Kultur aktiv gestalten # 01 , https://www.p-art-icipate.net/initiate-transform-sustain-reach-out-post-natyam-collective-members-reflect-on-long-distance-collaboration/

Erstellt am 25.Sep 2012

Cynthia Ling Lee

Cynthia Ling Lee instigates thoughtful, friction-filled dialogues between American postmodern dance and North Indian classical kathak. Her intercultural, interdisciplinary work has been presented throughout Asia and the United States at venues such as Dance Theater Workshop (New York), Asia Society (New York), National Asian-American Theater Festival (Los Angeles), Painted Bride Arts Center (Philadelphia), REDCAT (Los Angeles), Taman Ismail Marzuki (Jakarta), Taipei National University of the Arts (Taipei), India International Centre (New Delhi), and Chandra-Mandapa: Spaces (Chennai). Dedicated to intimate collaborative processes, Cynthia’s artistic partners-in-crime include the Post Natyam Collective; choreographers Sheetal Gandhi (dance-theater) and Anusha Kedhar (Bharata Natyam); musicians David Cutler (jazz/new music), Paul Livingstone (Ragajazz), Loren Nerell (Indonesian/electronic); and visual artists YaYa Chou (sculptural installation) and Carole Kim (multimedia installation). She is also a member of Desijam, a Los Angeles-based collective of contemporary Indian dance artists. Cynthia was the recipient of a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, an Asia-Pacific Performing Arts Exchange Fellowship, a Swarthmore Project Residency, a Taipei Artist Village Residency, and a Durfee ARC Grant. Influential teachers and mentors include Simone Forti, Eiko & Koma, Judy Mitoma, Pallabi Chakravorty, Bandana Sen, Kumudini Lakhia, Anjani Ambegaokar, and the contact improvisation community. Cynthia holds an MFA in choreography from UCLA.

www.cynthialinglee.com
© postnatyam.net


Sandra Chatterjee

Sandra Chatterjee is a choreographer and cultural studies/performance studies scholar who combines her interests of choreographing, writing, and organizing. She is currently a postdoctoral research assistant at the Department of Art, Music and Dance studies at the University of Salzburg. In her choreography she draws on her training in classical Indian dance – Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam – Polynesian dance, modern/postmodern dance, and yoga. She is a recipient of the Hawaii State Dance Council’s Choreographic Award and Cultural Preservation Award and holds a PhD in Culture and Performance from UCLA. As an independent choreographer she primarily performs in India and Europe, creating solo work, working with the Post Natyam Collective, and engaging in collaborations with artists such as Eko Supriyanto (Surakarta), P. Senthilkumar (Vienna) and Aditi Biswas (New Delhi). She has been a visiting scholar teaching at UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures and has completed a diploma in Arts and Organisation in Vienna, Austria (University of Vienna and Institut für Kulturkonzepte).

www.sandrachatterjee.net