Dance down the centuries

Tanushree Dhaundiyal and Rahul D'lima

"Ballet, jazz, tap, modern and urban dance forms have emerged from each other even though they are completely different in their movements and style. The human body, after all, is the same," says Tanushree Dhaundiyal. She speaks from experience, for, before going on to train in four of the five styles she mentions, she devoted seven years to mastering Odissi. Dhaundiyal co-founded the Bandra-based TR Dance Company with industry veteran and tap expert Rahul D'lima 10 years ago. This evening, students of the academy will present a showcase of the styles they have trained in at an event titled Paris to New York.

"Paris is where ballet was institutionalised, and jazz became well-known in New York. Between the two continents, we have the story of the evolution of tap, modern-contemporary and urban dance styles as well," shares Dhaundiyal, as she takes us through a brief history of the forms. "Ballet was born in the royal courts of Europe, and though it is a beautiful art form, it is also very strict. You need to have a petite frame to be a ballerina, and dancers with broad hips, for instance, cannot train in ballet," she tells us.

Towards the beginning of the 19th century, trained ballet dancers in the US and certain parts of Europe, who didn't agree with the exclusive nature of the art form, began to create dance movements and pieces rooted in ballet, but decidedly different from it. "The themes they chose were also a departure from the fairy tales of ballet. They aimed to find beauty in the reality they were surrounded by, and they even portrayed war in performance," Dhaundiyal adds.

Jazz, she shares, was born in the US and has its roots in African slave dances. While jazz and tap developed as one composite style in the beginning, the two took different paths with the former focussing on flexible moves while tap became all about footwork. Urban is more free style, with influences from all other forms including hip-hop.

dancers rehearse ballet and jazz styles

Dhaundiyal tells us that she and D'lima were sure that they didn't want the performance to be on the lines of a variety show. With over 130 students performing 12 pieces of varying difficulty levels, the thread that runs through them all is the story of the dance forms themselves. "We went through several BBC documentaries and clippings sourced from my dance school in London to weave together a narrative that will be played as an audio visual presentation at the beginning of each piece," she shares.

While eminent jazz musician Louiz Banks is the chief guest for the evening, another surprise that awaits attendees is a Parisian boulevard-like atmosphere that they can experience in the foyer of the venue, where artworks by up-cycle artists, glass painters and photographers can be viewed before they witness the showcase.

On: Tonight, 7 pm to 9.30 pm
At: St Andrew's Auditorium, Bandra West.
Call: 9820645570
Entry: Rs 400

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