Date/Time
Date(s) - 27/03/2018 - 29/03/2018
All Day
Location
Alliance française du Bengale
Categories
The Bengal Theosophical Society ; Alliance française du Bengale ; Buoyant Performing Arts ; Nachom Arts Foundation
& Culture Monks are delighted to present a movement & mixed media workshop called
“To” by Surjit Nongmeikapam
as part of the Momentum Experimental Arts Festival 2018.
The workshop will be held at The Bengal Theosophical Society Hall from March 27 – 29 2018, from 12 pm – 4 pm.
The outcome of the workshop will be exhibited on the terrace of Alliance francaise du Bengale (entry by Gate n°3),
Park Mansions, 57A Park Street on March 29, 2018 from 6:30 pm.
Performers with background in movement and dance are welcome to join the workshop.
This event will be followed by a Gypsy Jazz Concert by Banjara Quartet !
More : http://bengale.afindia.org/events/banjara-quartet/
How to register to the Workshop ?
To join kindly send a mail to [email protected] highlighting you background and motivation to join this workshop.
You can also call up 8697919308 and explain your motivation and brief us about yourself.
If selected you have to be be present on all the days of the workshop & performance and maybe be ready to do additional work outdoors.
Please note that this is going to be an intensive workshop .
The workshop fee is Rs. 800 which includes the performance.
Certificates will be issued at the end of the workshop and a film will also be developed on the workshop and the performance.
About the Workshop
“To” is a mixed media workshop inspired by true stories that the choreographer’s grandmother narrated to him when he was a young boy in Manipur. His grandmother and her family were caught in the thick of the Battle of Imphal, the unsuccessful Japanese invasion of pre-independence India in 1944. The war took many lives – Japanese, British and Indian soldiers died, along with several innocent Kangleipak or Manipuri civilians.
His grandmother also recalled in this tapestry of loss the period of the Seven Years Devastation (1819 -1826), when Manipur was annexed by Burma. In both these periods, people died, went missing, and became prisoners of alien regimes. Families were uprooted and torn apart. Researching these battles, the choreographer looked at the letters exchanged by people, with their simple proclamations of hope and finality. “Goodbye for this life”, “I’m always with you”, many of the letters said. Channelling this spirit of reaching out to the loved ones lost to war, the choreographer acts as a messenger. He conveys their hopes and wishes to the people they have left behind. The choreographer’s actions acquire immediacy given the war and destruction that continues to separate people from their loved ones in several parts of the world, forcing them to make long journeys to alien lands for the opportunity to live without fear. In his metaphorical role as messenger, he reveals something fragile and beautiful about the human condition.
About Surjit Nongmeikapam
Surjit Nongmeikapam (Bonbon) was born in Manipur, which lies in the North East part of India. Bonbon studied B.A. Choreography and has worked with the Natya Stem Dance Kampni and
Natya Maya, Bangalore as a contemporary dancer and traditional dancer. Bonbon is trained with kathak, Kalaripayattu, Manipuri dance, contemporary dance, and Thang-Ta a form of martial
arts. He is also learning many other movement styles from different Gurus/Mentors till now.He also trained for 3 months course of Dance and Movement therapy from Kolkata Sanved 2010. He was also as a Dance therapist at H2H, Human to Humane, Imphal 2009-2013.
He has given workshops and awareness to several trauma victims in Manipur.
Now he is exploring as an interdisciplinary experimental with physical and emotional works on his pieces. Bonbon is still opening for performances and working with other choreographers and
directors as a performer like before. He is also interested in working with visual artists and film makers as collaborators. Some of the best dance films which he has worked in are: “Black Pot and Movement” which was officially screened in 3 countries and nominated for best dance film, Switzerland -2013 (Theater Spektakel, Zurich), India -Experimenta 8th International Festival of Moving Image Art 2013 and Japan, Dance, and Film -International Dance Film Festival 2015. ‘Black Pot and Movement’ was supported by The Japan Foundation, New Delhi. It was a collaboration worked with Japanese dancer/choreographer Mayuka Ueno Gayer. “Underline” is another dance film which was screened in New Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Imphal and Poza Film (London). He collaborated with Swiss artist Frederic Lombard supported by Pro Helvetia, New Delhi project was Yellow Line Project hosted by Gati Dance Forum, New Delhi.
He also collaborated with other renowned artists like Takao Kawaguchi-Japan,Ryoya Fudetani-Japan,Choy Kai ai-Singapore,Karolin ken-Sweden,Chaoba Thiyam-India,Kartik Sood-India.
Bonbon has been at many International and National level artists’ residencies and dance festivals.He has toured and participated at some of the very important dance festivals in the world. His works tours in Switzerland, France, Singapore, Belgium, Japan, USA, Germany, Spain, Portugal, UK and others.
One of his own piece “OneVoice” (solo) was among the nominated
award for a short piece. It was 2013 at Theatre Spektakel Festival, Zurich.
He is also an award-winning choreographer. His own piece NERVES, an ensemble with 5 movers including himself
on stage won PECDA 2014.Late,again his new work FOLKTALE got an award for PECDA award 2016.successfully securing funding and mentoring for his choreographic work.
He is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Nachom Arts Foundation, Manipur. NAF has been working with many different projects in Manipur focusing on contemporary performing arts platform.
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The workshop and the performance is supported by Culture Monks Foundation and Iris Home Fragrances.
