Come, experience KAYA – our first ever production as a Company, a tribute to a Dancer’s foremost instrument, in the sanctum of a temple on stage. KAYA is the Temple Dancer each one of us, in our contradictions and our calm, is inside.
We have dreamt of KAYA ever since Junoon established a somewhat clear picture of what we’d like to bring to the world, to honour Performance Art.
Every Dancer dreams of dancing and bringing their art to stage. And then, when one dreams of carrying the joy and authenticity of a Dance education to everyone it appeals to as we did with Junoon, we also dreamed of all the dances we wanted to stage.
KAYA, as a performance concept, is first and foremost an ode to and a prayer of gratitude for a Dancer’s biggest instrument – her body; her KAYA. It is no wonder then that the setting of this show is a temple where a Dancer comes into being. If and when Junoon becomes the Dance company we wish for it to be, we want to have a history, on record, that traces our beginnings, our body of work, back to a whole, entire production that honoured the very instrument that enables a Dancer’s work on earth – KAYA – in a sacred space.
What we also want down in our history book is that we began by presenting three beautiful styles of Dance in the same production, through one KAYA. Yes, one Dancer dancing Classical Dance and its counter and counterpart – Contemporary Dance. To present these diverse styles of Dance that are both friends and foes (Contemporary Dance is both a derivative of and a rebellion against Classical Dance), is a rare privilege and challenge. It takes plenty for a KAYA to follow the rules of Classical Dance and then, go on and break them with the freedom and randomness of Contemporary Dance. But if this is the first ever Junoon production in entirety, it must be unique in content and choreography. (Well, we hope that’s the case for every one of our productions going forward.)
The experience of storytelling via three different Dance styles has been a lesson in versatility, body language shifts and body awareness. Every Dancer has a dominant way of moving. Switching and replacing those qualities that are so ingrained as quick as our show: KAYA requires her to is yet another defining aspect of the performance. With three forms, there is a diversity in expression that can appeal to all the different parts of us and phases of our lives. Ones we can and may make peace with. The Temple Dancer discovers her truth as she makes all these different explorations with her KAYA.
Putting on a show takes a team. This team is the fulcrum of the event and NOT the Dancer putting on the solo recital. The Dancer executes movement enabled, empowered and all she is entrusted with by the team. We are fortunate to have a team that not only understands Junoon inside out, but has also stood by us in every capacity that they could.
Beginning with the cause:
We are raising funds for cancer care, prevention and cure. The inspiration for Junoon as a Foundation itself came from a humanitarian and patron of the Arts whom we lost to cancer before she could live to see us bring Junoon to life. There could not be a bigger nor more relevant and impactful purpose for our first ever production as a Dance company. There could not be a more fitting tribute to her blessed soul. To add to this, MOCF, the cancer care foundation that we have partnered with will employ the funds raised to treat and educate adolescent Girls faced with the potential risk of cervical cancer. Given that we have majorly worked with adolescent Girls to build them up as Dancers, the possibility of Girls in the same age bracket being freed of and taking the necessary precautions to guard against the scourge of cancer, fills us with hope and gratitude.
Our Artistic Director: Bhavisha Kothari embodies Junoon in ways we can and cannot describe. She brings life, fire and structure to this performance. Her artistic vision and energy had long entered Junoon when she began working with our kids in Dhasa, Gujarat. And now, her creative immensity infuses KAYA with all it needs to come together as a production. Her presence has meant the world to us and it’s opening up a whole new world of creativity, possibility and challenges we want to incorporate and present to our growing audience for Performance Art.
Although Dance is a tremendously efficient form of non-verbal communication, it can only help to have a voice that narrates the story as a KAYA dances it. For this reason, we have a narrator in Sanjay Jha – someone who has kept a keen eye on the stumbling, steadying and surging journey of Junoon. He understands us, he understands Art and he’s such a powerful storyteller. We could not be more excited as he takes the stage to introduce and explain our first presentation like no one else can. He breathes life into our KAYA and will literally allow the Dancer to breathe between sets, with his evocative narration.
KAYA is both simple and complex. Simple in its spirit of gratitude, action and emotion and complex, because it honours the contrasts in the body of a Dancer and the female mind. It honours the history of Temple Dance – where it all began. Dancers worship their art. Their studios are their temples – a sacred space where they feel safe to let it all go, improve and gather. It takes a lifetime of practice and prayer to prepare one’s KAYA. So it may Dance its dreams – those it has sought blessings for through relentless hardwork, passion and compassion.
This is Junoon. And this is for every Dancer. Every KAYA.
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