Two performers take to the stage: Namron, one of the great pioneers of contemporary dance and Pratap Pawar, equally renowned, but from the contrasting world of classical North Indian Kathak. Both are masters in their own field. Yet they are about to perform a piece entitled Learning to Dance. So what’s going on?
Balbir Singh was schooled in both Kathak and western contemporary dance styles. Learning to Dance features both the dance masters who have taught him. A duet of astonishing virtuosity and grace, the piece is a reflection on the contrasting relationships of Guru-disciple and teacher-student.
In a brief reference to Samuel Beckett’s absurdist masterpiece Waiting for Godot, Balbir Singh opens the piece with both his former contemporary dance teacher and his Kathak Guru on stage, awaiting the arrival of their student/disciple.
Contrasting approaches to learning play a prominent role in the narrative. The western model, with its teacher/student relationship, is contrasted with that of the guru and his disciple, more typically found in Eastern cultural practice.
The transcultural exploration is further underscored musically throughout the piece. Tabla features prominently, as does jazz saxophone played by Anglo-Indian composer Jesse Bannister, whose music combines both Eastern and Western musical influences.
It is typical of the playful nature of his work and a moment that Balbir relishes. “I realise this piece may appear to come out of the blue and seem unconnected to my recent work in that it is explicity ‘about dance.’ But I think we have a duty as artists to examine what makes us do things the way we do them. These two great men – and two great traditions in which they stand – have been fundamental to my development as an artist. I want to map this out, show the overlap and make sense of what emerges when you synthesise the Western and Eastern approaches to learning.”
“When Balbir Singh dreamt of creating a piece that would bring together his two dance mentors: Namron (contemporary) and Pratap Pawar (kathak), he did not anticipate the force of energy the encounter would unleash. Each is spurred to display the honed skills of decades of experience. The masters’ younger versions appear and thrill with speed and vigour. Youth and age are held in balance – the prowess of youth versus the grandeur of maturity. Balbir Singh’s ability to draw upon complex emotions and dilemmas make Learning to Dance a deeply human drama.”
Sanjeevini Dutta, Editor, Pulse Magazine
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