Alliance Française of Madras Indo-French Cultural Centre
Date/Time
Date(s) - 10/02/2015
7:00 pm
Location
Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Concert Hall, Lady Andal School
Categories
Marcia Barcellos, from the French company Système Castafiore creates an imaginary, dream-like setting in this dance production where she is Umaï, the womb of the universe, or a female-dragon from the fictional territory of Gravbekistan. In this ode to femininity, the reconstructed memory of many imaginary divinities is conveyed through five songs loosely derived from Indian or African melodies. Each of them, in the manner of ancient theatre, introduces an epic poem of a past era that only the body memory can link us to. As a loyal disciple of the American choreographer, Alwin Nikolais, Barcellos uses the whole gamut of effects, including video, lighting, holograms and props created by Karl Biscuit, the co-founder of Systeme Castafiore.
Les Chants de l’Umaï consists of five sequences set in a surreal Indo-Arab context with Persian and Jewish influences, in which dance stems from singing in long, undulating iterations, somewhat like the chants of ancient manuscripts. While creating this show, Marcia Barcellos was particularly inspired by the Carnatic songs and the mudras of Indian sacred dances.
This genre of performance has no equivalent on the French performing arts scene. Operating for over 30 years, the company creates a universe of its own, flirting with Dadaism. Its representation of reality reflects the madness of our world through an extraordinary work of experimentation that combines movement, sophisticated projections and sound installations.
Directed by: Marcia Barcellos (choreographer) and Karl Biscuit (director/composer)
Entry Free|Passes Available at the reception, Alliance Française of Madras
