Workshop

Montréal April 3rd, 2008 - Festival Accès Asie is happy to collaborate with the MAI (Montreal, arts interculturels) to offer dancers a professional workshop organized by choreographers and interpreters Natasha Bakht (Toronto) and Roger Sinha (Montreal). This workshop will take place on Sunday May 18, 2008 and is an initiative in the Indian Bharatanatyam spirit of exploring new approaches of incorporating the Indian aesthetic in the language of contemporary dance. The workshop is offered in tandem with the world premier of 0’s and 1's and Thread, Sinha Dance’s newest creations, at the MAI between May 29th and June 8th.

Bharatanatyam is a classic form of Indian dance from the state of Tamil in Nadu, South India that experienced a revival in the 20th century after escaping near-extinction due to time and social transformations. Ancestrally known as a temple-based art, this technique is particularly difficult to learn, and consists of understanding the metaphysical manifestation of the elements of fire as part of the human body. In this symbolic representation, the human body channels the element of fire and the dancer’s movements embody the twirling flames of an inferno. During the workshop, the two choreographers will propose ways of appropriating certain movements that are in the spirit of Bharatanatyam while integrating their own contemporary dance practices.

Natasha Bakht is a dancer and choreographer of Indian descent specializing in Bharatanatyam. In Canada, she trained with Menaka Thakkar for over twenty years and toured a classic Indian repertoire internationally with the Menaka Thakkar Dance Company. She has worked with choreographers Joan Phillips, Roger Sinha and Robert Desrosiers in Canada and England with Laurie Booth, Wayne McGregor and Shobana Jeyasingh. In addition to dancer, Natasha has taken on the role of choreographer since 1994 with such pieces as Dance if You Must, Appropriating Edges and Obiter Dictum. In addition to her active involvement with numerous organizations, Natasha Bakht obtained her master’s degree in law at the University of New York and teaches Common Law at the University of Ottawa. In December 2007, Natash Bakht was guest of honor at the prestigious festival Danse Danse, in Montreal.

Roger Sinha began his modern training in 1983 at the Toronto Dance Theatre School. In 1989, he established himself in Montreal and danced for Jean-Pierre Perreault, Hélène Blackburn and Sylvain Émard. It was during this same time period that he founded his company, Sinha Danse, and created his first piece Burning Skin (1992). Inspired by his Indian heritage, his work creates a rich dialogue between Bharatanatyam mudras, martial arts and modern dance. Over the years, Sinha Danse has performed extensively at major festivals in Canada including the Canada Dance Festival, Montréal en Lumière, Dancing on the Edge, and the International Festival of Modern Dance. On the international scene, Sinha Danse has presented works at the prestigious Place Theatre (London) during the Vivarta Festival of South Asian Performance.

Sunday May 18th, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels)
3680, rue Jeanne-Mance, #223, Montreal
Information : (514) 982-1812 (MAI) or (514) 523-1047 (Accès-Asie)
Cost: $30 per participant. Registration required.

Press contact: Olga Pudelko (514) 570-0931

Public Relations (MAI) : Aneth Sin 982-1812, poste 227