Shall we dance -- ?

Sunshine!  Blue skies!  Energy!!!  I don't know whether that's why the Vancouver International Dance Festival is held at this time of year, but it makes for an exciting March.  The community centre that hosts the festival on its professional stage always sponsors free one-hour drawing sessions during the festival weeks, and this is the third year I've attended a few.

But wait!  I'm getting ahead of myself.  Last month and this week, I've again been drawing in the dark at the Dance Centre, where professional dance troupes preview their works-in-progress in one-hour noontime sessions.  It's an exercise I invented for myself and although it yields few recognizable results, it's so much fun.

I've seen some astonishing young dancers there, and the latest -- the OURO Collective (named for Ouroboros) -- were truly jaw-dropping.  Try this link and click on "TANGENT - Trailer" for a sample.  Then imagine trying to capture this action, drawing quickly in the dark, virtually sight unseen.

The blob in this one  should be read as a cascade of the five interlocked dancers:

Plenty of people would view my personal Drawing in the Dark (not to be confused with Dancing in the Dark)  as a quirky idea.  What a delight for me, then, to have seated next to me a young woman who, I could see, could barely refrain from looking at what I was doing.  When the hour ended and the lights came up she said, "I couldn't help but watch you.  Could I see your drawings?  It's so cool that you're doing this."  We flipped through the blobs together, and she was so excited:  "Oh my god, you've nailed it!!!"  Talk about kindred spirits.

Now, on to the Roundhouse Community Centre for the VIDF offerings -- featuring clothed models, most often dancers themselves who are modelling on a volunteer basis. 

First up, a young woman in mime's costume, white-face, and an incredible wasp-nest kind of turban.

Her modelling was terrific but oddly enough, all this white against the black was hard to draw.  Still, I'm fascinated by this costumed pose -- you haven't seen the last of it.

Next session, another terrific model whose stripey top created some positional landmarks.

In my third Roundhouse session, another young dancer offered some interesting twists and turns in her poses -- not always easy to fine-tune considering her all-black costume.

Finally, the Ides of March brought an astonishing finale to these weeks of dance drawings.  The midday performance at the Dance Centre featured a type of classical Indian dance known as bharata natyam, in this case performed by three female dancers of Mandala Arts & Culture.

I had expected something slow and formalized but was blown away by this contemporary approach to forms that were once practiced as devotional dances in Hindu temples.  These had become almost extinct until about 100 years ago when the dances were revived as a theatre art.  Their renaissance in Canada and internationally has been greatly aided by the passion of a renowned male Caucasian dancer, now artistic director of this troupe, named Jai Govinda.

The young women were all students of his, two of them since the age of six.  The first danced an incredibly intricate Chant to Buddha, featuring in part an invocation to the four corners of the earth.  I have never before seen such an embodiment of pure joy as in this young woman's movements, gestures, expressions.

The second danced an homage to Krishna -- the speed and positioning of her feet, hands, fingers were almost beyond capturing!

Finally, in a storytelling mode, the third dancer embodied Radha, the most beautiful of Krishna’s consorts.  She has waited for him all night and then, when he finally arrives at dawn, she enumerates all the evidence for his having been with another woman.  Teacher Govinda explained that he had choreographed this in the traditional way in which Radha feels very hard done by.  “But then came the #MeToo movement,” he said, “and I realized the story needed a revision.”  No more self-pitying Radha!  Now she stomps her foot and gives Krishna the brush-off, telling him “No more lies!”  

  

We were assured that there is a follow-up story, not danced that day, called “Krishna repents.”

And so the dance continues -- those who dance, those who are enthralled with dancers, those who inspire it all, like Shiva, The Lord of the Dance.   Shown here -- and above, as a mandala --  he has been quickly drawn from the metal statue that stood at the side of the stage.