Dance it out

Paulette Beauchamp (left) performs a flamenco number

On International Dance Day that was celebrated on April 29, Sanjukta Wagh, Mumbai-based teacher, choreographer and founder of inter-disciplinary artiste initiative Beej, invited her longterm colleague from Puerto Rico, Paulette Beauchamp to teach her students the art form of flamenco, in an impromptu session. It was a hit with the students; beautifully designed and complete with interesting theoretical information, the session dove into several aspects - the dance, its origins and similarities to Indian dance forms - in an interactive segment. This urged Wagh to make it a series, with multiple sessions that touch upon these topics. "Beauchamp had conducted a beautiful session that involved a detailed presentation that talked about the art form and its development from the 14th century, the history of Spain, and shared histories of nomadic dancers. These share many similarities with the Indian dance form, kathak, because of its improvisatory structure. So, I thought we should do this as a series," says Wagh.

From October 1, Beej, along with Beauchamp's dance collective DanzActiva, will host the Flamenco Immersive: A Journey into the Dance Form and its Context, a series of 12 virtual sessions, with all proceeds from the workshops to be donated towards the TheatreDost initiative, that works towards COVID-19 relief activities across
the country.

Carlos Bedoya

The course will cover subjects like the history of flamenco, rhythm patterns, relationship of the music with the dance and basic movements along with a short choreography of a festive song, famous in the Spanish city of Jerez, called Bulería. Sessions will be helmed by Beauchamp with music by flamenco guitarist Carlos Bedoya.

"This is not just about learning the performance, it's more about immersing yourself into the culture, the tradition, understanding what the time cycle stands for and learning to improvise with the music. It'll be a lovely opportunity that is open to everyone, not just dancers," summarises Wagh.

On October 1 onwards, Mondays and Fridays time 6.30 to 8.30 pm
Log on to @beejmumbai on Instagram to register
Cost Rs 5,000