NIRMANIKA
Beauty of Architecture
Synopsis
Though two very different disciplines, architecture
and dance share some commonalities in process and creation. Choreographers and architects, when creating new bodies of movement or conceptualising building infrastructures, always grapple the manipulation of space and light to construct new forms.
The dance production Nirmanika (‘architectonics’ in Sanskrit) explores the forms and aspects of architecture by deconstructing ancient monuments such as India’s Taj Mahal and Indonesia’s Borobudur through Bharatanatyam techniques such as nritta (movements) and abhinaya (expressions). Featuring six segments centered on geomancy, space, structure, philosophy, history and form, Nirmanika is ultimately about the beauty of architecture expressed through dance.
Creative team
Artistic Director: Aravinth Kumarasamy
Music Composer: Aravinth Kumarasamy, Sikkil Gurucharan
Choreographer: Anjana Anand, Aravinth Kumarasamy, Mohanapriyan Thavarajah
Costume Designer: Neila Sathyalingam, Mohanapriyan Thavarajah
Reviews
“The highlight of the performance was the final act, Elevation, which delved into the structure of Borobudur, a Javanese Buddhist temple with Indian architectural influences. At times, the repetitive, geometric formations brought to mind a procession of monks ascending into the temple. In other moments, the dancers resembled Borobudur’s formidable stone domes.”
MALAVIKA MENON, The Straits Times, Singapore
Nirmanika… rested on an inspiring conceptual idea, which was suitably matched by the creative choreography… I can now see how architecture can be seen as dance in stillness and dance can be seen as architecture in movement. Nirmanika was an incredibly engaging production that breathed new life into the centuries-old art form of Bharatanatyam.”
KADAM, www.pulseconnects.com, United Kingdom
