Sunday evening was all about starting a new dialogue in the arts by Sudarshan Chakravorty of Sapphire Creations Dance Company, known for leading the contemporary dance movement in the city. On June 4, Chakravorty introduced the SappTop Series and its inaugural session Art for Resistance saw a hypnotic performance by Promita Karfa at the Sapphire Studio in Salt Lake.
The show kicked off with a graceful solo performance, Tanmantra, by the city-based contemporary dancer that explored the bodily and philosophical concept of sense and sensations, touching upon ‘tan’ (body), ‘mann’ (heart) and ‘antra’ (stomach). Promita owned the space with her piercing expressions and amazing bodily contortions to showcase that the universe resides in our own bodies, and how that establishes a relationship with the outer universe with the help of our sensory organs and the multiple energy centres in the body called the ‘chakras’. The movement vocabulary of the piece also explored how we perceive different kinds of touches our body experiences in its lifetime.
This unique dance show was followed by an intense conversation between acclaimed singer Lopamudra Mitra and Samarjit Guha of the NGO Future Hope. With her soulful renditions and interesting anecdotes from her rewarding musical journey, the versatile singer revealed some of her personal dilemmas in her 30-year-long career and how she still manages to meander her way past the remake culture and reaffirm her faith in originality.
“June 4 is a very special day for me as it is the wedding anniversary of my late parents who built this house in 1978. And it is also the fifth anniversary of Subijoya Dance Foundation, a trust created in the loving memory of my parents. Every year on this day I try to create something new to share my artistic work with the art-loving people of Calcutta. This time around, I thought of starting this new series and opening up this rooftop space to the artists and art lovers of Calcutta. Through SappTop, we are trying to share the energy of this space of practice not just as the outcome but as the ethos behind every artwork, reflecting on the hard work and endurance that goes with it at every moment. We are also looking at art from close proximity in this intimate space to make everyone aware of what art actually is. This series will be taken forward from here to other public spaces like galleries, cafes, and bookshops where we will share art not just in its dance form but also as discussions, theatre, cinema and music. We are aiming to create a greater fraternity which will be consolidated in the spirit of art,” said Sudarshan Chakravorty, founder, Sapphire Creations Dance Company.