dance artist
Reflections Of An Indian Dancer (2022)
Sooraj Subramaniam collaborates with Balbir Singh Dance Company to bring Reflections of an Indian Dancer, a work anchored in three exquisite solo works from classical dance traditions of Bharatanatyam, Odissi and Kathak, touching on the universal themes of home and sense of self, whilst remaining focused on the power of the individual performer.
The bold and at times very vulnerable monologue that accompanies the performance is revealed through a startling spoken word soundtrack, where the audience is taken into the interior world of the performer and invited to explore their own sense of identity.
The dancer’s practice and the appearance of ease that come with it are the foundation of any performance, yet the audience is never privy to this daily search for perfection; an artist’s life remains private until only the final, minutely crafted performance is ready.
It is with this sense of a dancer’s interior life that dancer Subramanian approached this new work Reflections of an Indian Dancer. In creative partnership with Balbir Singh, this is his first autobiographical work; weaving together a lifetime of artistic experience, taking performative expression beyond the physical to delve into the most human of questions – home, identity, belonging.
Credits
Concept & direction: Balbir Singh
Writing, screenplay & performance: Sooraj Subramaniam
Dramaturgy: Dan Mallaghan
Production: Ezekiel Oliveira
Audio production: Elia Tomé
Trailer: Nathan Towers, Towers Film and Media
Photography: Emma Ledwith & Malcolm Johnson
Duration: 70 minutes