Holographic Performance
Work in progress, arts residency in Micadanses (Paris)
Synopsis
This project is a poetic dialogue between a thousand-year-old dance and the arts and techniques of the digital age.
Alone on an empty stage, the devadasi (sacred dancer) mimes the deeds of the gods, embodying all the characters at once and drawing the scenery by the sole suggestive power of her movements. This is how the ideal dance recital should be according to the Natya Shastra, a treaty on dance-theater from the beginning of our era that continues to shape the aesthetics of present-day Indian classical dance. Twenty centuries later, however, the complex aesthetic codes of the Natya Shastra are fading, leaving choreographies deprived of their meaning.
This project sets out to reveal the abundant imagination that arises behind each move of Odissi dance. Around the solo performer, a fantastic world takes shape in holograms and comes to life as she moves. The use of light is a tribute to the poetry and to the spiritual dimension of Odissi dance.
About this project
This project is a work in progress. Infusing the element of technology on stage involves a profound adaptation of the traditional Indian classical dance performance, at the crossroads of scripting, stageplay, music, graphics and motion design.
Credits
- Concept and direction: Avishai Leger-Tanger
- Choreography: Mahina Khanum, Kali Chandrasegaram
- Holographic set up: 4D Motion
Avishai Leger-Tanger is a digital artist whose work is inspired by the classical arts of India. His creations in collaboration with the renowned Indian classical Odissi dancer Mahina Khanum made the headlines in India and beyond.