Attakkalari to present its latest work, Sonnet of Samsara, in Chennai

Chennai gets ready to host Sonnet of Samsara, with the support of British Council, InKo Centre, DakshinaChitra and the Asian College of Journalism. Sonnet of Samsara, which premiered in 2024 at Serendipity Arts festival, Goa, recently completed a show in London. The ring of didgeridoo, Mizhavu and Tibetan chants, along with poetry and songs, instil a primal feel in the spectators. The architecture is brutalist, with tower blocks of the 1960s. Flags cut-out of Muzirabad silk wave in the evening breeze. The Londoners were transported to a landscape of new meanings, says dancer- choreographer Jayachandran Palazhy, who is also the founder and artistic director of Attakkalari. He has conceptualised this site-specific, transdisciplinary performance. 

Sonnet of Samsara, he adds, is a response of our times to myth, experiences and memories. It represents the idea of transformation of a hero; mapping of his journey from childhood to adolescence. “It is a response of a society to civil war, climate change… It is the need for us to be more reflective, wiser and composed to deal with cataclysmic changes that have happened in the world.” Explaining the genesis of this creative work that took shape during the pandemic, Jayachandran says, it was like a little bird gathering twigs to make a nest. “Homes, that used to be a place of solace, suddenly became our prison, workplace and many different things. It disrupted our existence. It made me think about the human journey, our evolution and transformation. That’s how it all started.”

According to Jayachandran, “the open-air setting of DakshinaChitra is a repository of our architecture and folk culture. This piece sits well there. The audience will experience a site-specific promenade version in the courtyard. However, the controlled atmosphere of the stage at the Music Academy will charm the audience with possibilities of artificial lighting.” But he points out that how a large country such as India, does not have spaces for contemporary dance. In countries such as France, there are at least 19 national centres for choreography, with incredible facilities for the artistes. In its 1997 election manifesto, the U.K. Labour Party highlighted its support for the arts and dance, leading to a wave of progressive initiatives, including the establishment of National Dance Agencies across the country. There, the artists often involve themselves in the decision making.”

Members of the Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts presenting Bhinna Vinyasa
| Photo Credit:
Marco Caselli Nirmal

Attakkalari will also do a presentation for the students of ACJ.  

Attakkalari’s 25 year-old journey is the main context of all these ventures. Founded in 2001, the institution has pioneered study of contemporary dance in India. “World over, people are now aware of Attakkalari. We also collaborate with artistes from Italy, Korea, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain, Australia, Japan, South Africa and now Poland as well.”Attakkalari’s seminal NAGARIKA project offers an interactive digital documentation series on Indian physical and performance traditions.

Sonnet of Samsara will be presented at DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum on October 3, 4.30 p.m. (admission via museum entry ticket); at Music Academy on October 4, 7 p.m. (tickets on BookMysShow); and Asian College of Journalism on October 6, 5.30 p.m.