DanceWeekend’19 is 45 days away, and today we are featuring Tanveer Alam – part of New Blue Emerging Dance. Tanveer Alam performs Sunday January 27 at 5:45pm.
Tanveer Alam:
https://www.facebook.com/tanveeralamdance/
https://www.instagram.com/tantanalam/
New Blue Emerging Dance:
https://www.facebook.com/newbluedance/
https://www.instagram.com/newbluedance/
Can you tell us little bit about your company/collective/school?
Tanveer Alam creates and presents contemporary dance works through kathak, an Indian classical dance form. Distinguished by dynamic spins, strong musicality, graceful movement, and subtle expressive qualities, Tanveer showcases the breadth of innovation within the vocabulary of kathak. Tanveer applies a contemporary lens to pieces from the traditional kathak repertoire, and creates new works expanding on the possibilities of the form. This approach makes kathak more accessible to a wider audience. Tanveer strongly believes in creating works that evoke a sense of togetherness and representing the South Asian diaspora of young artists.
What are showing at DanceWeekend’19?
I will be presenting be two duets at DanceWeekend’ 19. Kathak, at its core, is about the relationship the dancer builds with it’s viewers. The first duet, featuring a musician and myself, will be a direct interaction with the audience in which I will speak and present some of my favorite compositions of the form. The second duet, this time with a dancer, is a celebration of the endless possibilities that exist within the form of kathak. As a choreographer and dancer that has solely trained in this ancient Indian art in North America, it is my take on where I see this style of dance going in the future!
Who are the performers/collaborators in this piece(s)?
Dancers: Prajakta Dravid, Tanveer Alam
Musician: TBD
Can you talk about your creative process? What inspires you?
I believe that kathak is a true mix of the Indian classical dance concepts of Lasya and Tandava. Lasya is focused on beauty, grace, happiness, whilst Tandava represents rigour, strength and power. Both of these opposing energies are complimentary to one another and are naturally a part of my process. Also, music and rhythm, in the case of these pieces are also super important. I truly let the music tell me what to do. Of course, sometimes going against it, but mainly I strive to build a conversation between the dance and the melody.
Please share your experience performing in a previous DanceWeekend and/or tell us what you are looking forward to at DanceWeekend’19?
This is going to be our first DanceWeekend presentation, and we are so excited to represent kathak, and bring it to an audience that has maybe never experienced it!
What is one surprising or interesting fact about your company/collective/school?
I presented my first piece in Toronto through New Blue Emerging Dance Festival three years ago, and now we are collaborating on this!
Do you have any up-coming performances/events you would like to share?
Not Just Dance Symposium, Dec 12-15 2018, Compagnie Nyata Nyata, Montreal
Éclosion, Mai 2-5 2019, Tangente Danse, Montreal