The term dance has many meanings but
one that truly defines it is the freeing yourself
from norms and following your heart. For the
first time in the history of artistic expression,
Goa Chitra will be presenting an installation
that will be represented by an interactive
dance/movement instillation. Two young
artistes, Gautam Nima and Pushpanjali Sharma,
have developed and will be using the medium
of dance, music and somatics (mind-body
practices) to express the birth of ‘Apnnavop’:
an interactive dance/movement installation.
The installation will be held from May 16 to
22, 2016, at Goa Chitra Museum, Benaulim to
celebrate International Museum Day.
‘Apnnavop’, the 7-day duration
performance will evolve and grow each day
and will include the audience who will be
visiting the museum to be part of the live
installation. “Goa Chitra will be kept open till
8pm as the performance will be held for two
hours every day, from 6pm onwards. The
two dance artistes, Gautam and Pushpanjali,
will let their performance evolve within the
walls of the Goa Chitra and Goa Chakra
museums, so that it may live and interact with
the history and stories housed therein. It is an
interactive performance where the audience
are invited to be part of the live music, poetry
and broadcasting. Even musicians are free to
pick up any instrument and add their creativity
to the installation,” says Victor Hugo Gomes,
Founder and curator of Goa Chitra and Goa
Chakra.
Gautam Nima, who has an MFA in Dance
from Hollins University, Roanoke, Virginia, in
collaboration with Frankfurt University of Music
and Performing Arts, has been living in Goa
for the past two months and was surprised
by the treasures available at the museum.
“When I visited Goa Chitra for the first time,
I was smitten and impressed with the space
and what it represents. The dance will be what
comes out of my own experience and what I
feel when I am in the midst of the multiculture
of Goa. It is an exploration of what it means
to settle in Goa where the ancient cultural
energy is so strong. The stories and the history
of the place was calling out to us and the
performance is called ‘Assimilate’ for a reason,”
says Gautam, originally from Mussoorie.
Coming back to Goa after completing
her studies, Pushpanjali feels connected to
the theme. “‘Appnavom’ means to assimilate
and to be accepted back. I was in Goa before
moving for my studies to Delhi and then the
US. Gautam and I both studied at Peridance
Capezio Center, Dance New Amsterdam and
Movement Research, training in dance forms
like ballet, modern and contemporary dance in
the US for four years. For this performance, we
researched about the museum to incorporate
it in the dance. The dance will evolve each day
of the performance and we will be using new
material that is sourced every day. I am also
curious to see what it will evolve into,” says
Pushpanjali, who’s from Margao. She also has
a Masters Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies
with a specialisation in Embodied Studies from
Lesley University, Cambridge, USA.
These two months in Goa have inspired
these young artistes to conduct workshops,
which they hope to do sometime soon.
“Dancing is therapeutic and helps self healing,
self knowing and self expression. It is not
about imposing forms and becoming clones
of someone else but a unique way of creating
and expressing oneself,” says Pushpanjali.
The ‘Apnnavop’ performance will be held
from May 16 to 22, 2016 from 6pm to 8pm,
as part of the International Museum Day
celebration at Goa Chitra, Benaulim
