Contemporary Dance Festival 'Expressions' begins on Tuesday

Art affectionados in the city are in for a treat as the first edition of 'Expressions', a contemporary dance festival, featuring Indian and international choreographers begins on Tuesday.

The three-day festival, to be held in Shri Ram Centre will see renowned artists like French choreographer Gilles Chuyen, Swiss performer Gregory Stauffer and Indian performers Ashley Lobo, and Santosh Nair among others.

"The festival aims to create a much needed platform for the contemporary dance genre in India which has seen exponential growth over the last decade. It is also intended to spread the message that creative energies in India have gone beyond the boundaries of classical traditional and that there is an explosion of young minds to explore new horizons," said festival curator Suresh Goel.

Audience can look forward to French dancer Chuyen's performance where he will collaborate with Iranian musician Fakhroddin Ghaffari to create 'The Colour White'. The performance explores various layers of personal connections with the colour white.

Another attraction is Lobo's 'Amaara - A Journey of Love', a contemporary dance piece which tells an intimate love story.

Among other performances, Stauffer's 'Walking', evokes curiosity. A solo performance, it is Stauffer's tribute to the ground that supports our dreams and ambitions, as it traces our life's journey. It suggests that an individual's environment, mind and body are connected to each other to form a musical chord.

Another performance 'The Mystical Forest' by Nair, explores life within the forest. The production draws from the dance vocabulary of Mayurbhanj Chhau (a traditional dance form from Orissa) with strong grounded movements and contemporary interpretation.

Sangeeta Sharma's 'Antatah: The 13th Day' , focuses on one of the most searing events of the epic Mahabharata war.

The festival is organised by Teamwork Arts in partnership with the culture ministry, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Pro Helvetia and Sangeet Natak Akademi.

The festival is on from March 29-31 at Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts from 7 p.m.