“… A joyous incarnation of how humans are able to negotiate, to give and take respectfully, peacefully, selflessly – without losing their sense of identity or self-worth.”
– Marion Potts
Hierarchies and power are key features of traditional Indian Kathak. Permanently seated stage left, the musician commands from a dais. Higher in the pecking order, the musician calls and the dancer respond in a game like fashion. Although the dancer’s movement is the visual focus, the dancer is not allowed to touch, grab or play the Tabla (drum), and the musician never leaves their platform to enter the dance space.
TWO challenges these dominant ideologies through a highly physical dance vocabulary and by introducing “live-responsiveness” and unpredictability into the relationship between musician and dancer. “Who is leading” and “who is following” will be up for grabs through-out the piece. While respectful of tradition, TWO smashes barriers and stretches the limits of musician/dancer interactions.
