Dance fiesta: An amalgamation of different styles

Alliance Francaise has been hosting a two-month-long festival called Bonjour India, which has seen them put up exhibitions, bringing down French graphic novelists for meet and greet and screenings to promote Indo-French relations. The last event which got underway on Wednesday – Let’s Dance.
The evening started with a performance by Archana Kumar who was accompanied by Sanjeev Sri on guitar. She performed a hybrid of Flamenco, a highly expressive Spanish dance form, with the Indian classical Khatak. Two dance forms she says have shared ancestry.
“This is not a fusion but an amalgamation,” explained Sanjeev who further went on to educate the audience about the various Palaus of Flamenco music.
Both the styles blended seamlessly as Archana performed dances over three unique and distinct songs.
After the performance, the film screenings got underway. The first of which was Tanghi Argentini which was about a sweet old man in an office who helps his co-worker break out of the monotony by asking him to teach him the Tango. The second film Ballets of Beelitz was a silent film with trippy visuals as two men danced down a deserted corridor.
The third film Sisters, took a dark turn as it showed three sisters amusing themselves with dance while being held in captivity. The final film, Timecode was about two security guards who play a game of cat and mouse through dance over the surveillance system of the building they were guarding.
“What was really great about the films was that the language was irrelevant. You could understand what was happening whether you read the subtitles or not. I’m really glad I got to see them on the big screen,” said Sal Yussuf, an actor and director, who was in attendance.
The second day saw a contemporary dance performance by Seher Noor Mehra followed by screenings of five more short films including Blue Dog, Whitney Houston, and Journey without a Map.
Both the performances and films facilitated cultural exchange and educated the audience about a world they wouldn’t otherwise know existed.