a day for rickshaw stories

Its Friday

..and well not sure how we arrived here, coming to the end of week 3 already! Awaiting Morag's safe arrival from Edinburgh, UK, cant wait to share some stories and adventures with her.

And already we start to say goodbye to people..

Philippe Saire, one of the Mentors, heads back to Europe tomorrow (Saturday), and his input and experience has brought lightness and wit to every ones work. Am still working on it Philippe, and will be for some time!! 

How can we go deep into the darkness, but still keep a thread that draws us into the light? 

How to still access the full emotional body, but not to become over saturated, to have sense of space and breathe which invites the audience into your world, to be able to reach and connect, through movement/sound/energy to those at the back of the theatre..

I am now working with the challenge of a small stage space - originally the space to perform which was of preference, was in a court yard, with people able to come as close or as far as they wished -- now that space is out of bounds (the french institute wont allow) and so we are into the black box.. my challenge is to use this 'conference' stage set up and find an unorthodox way of using/seeing/and experiencing it..

Borrowed light, my aim, is to draw the audience into a world which at first is abstract (is theatre abstract?), and through movement, narrative, and by borrowing light, to guide them and to find a way to bring in the natural reality of the eastern sunlight.

Not so much in the movement this week, but stepping outside to observe, to shape, form, and bend light, to write a story which from darkness grows light..

I love the reminder of being here,  the work is one aspect, we, the choreographers on the FACETS residency go into individual studio spaces - a borrowed space, and focus on our own worlds and work, sometimes forgetting that we are in Bangalore, a city so connected. Every time I hop into a Rickshaw to take a journey, and taken down new streets with new sights (and there are more than 10 ways to get to your destination, never the same path taken) I am blessed by seeing the value of life, family, living and a culture so rich in its traditions.. 

*** RICKSHAW ADVENTURES ***

Yesterday was rickshaw day.. in the morning, the driver and I got stuck in the traffic (nothing new) and then his rickshaw wouldnt start.. in the middle of what we would call 2 lanes, which means 5 here.. with a wall of horns bleating at us, the driver got out and started to push us to 'safety', so I too got out and helped him push the rickshaw through the bikes, cars, other auto-ric's, and buses.. "10mins madam and it will start again" we sat for exactly 10mins and he started up the motor, he wasnt even tempted to try before 10mins, a full 10mins he knew was needed for the little putt-putt to rest! and so we sat, and he spoke proudly of his family, his life and his honest earnings.. we continued on our way and arrived safely at my destination.. The thought didnt even cross my mind till later, which was actually the thought of one of the local dancers, that I could have gotten out and hopped on another Rickshaw, was happy to sit and listen to his story.. and it was the most beautiful rickshaw I had been in during my travles - this man had such patience, and pride..

safely on our way!

How connected are we???

So, on my second rickshaw journey, heading towards an Attakkalari sharing of our work (another story), with all the streets, all the millions of people, all the places to stop in traffic.. during a long dusty 40mins rickshaw ride.. the rick stops for not even a minute.. I look to the side of the road, and there is Pia (from Attakkalari, she works hard on the admin team) looking straight into my rickshaw... WHAT?? no chance, really?? to bump into someone you know, here its unheard of.. then shouting through the traffic where are you going, to the studio? Yes, replies Pia, so she dashes and leaps through the bikes, and heavy traffic, jumps over the side bar and slips into the Rickshaw.. the driver, a little perplexed, as his passenger, a foreigner just picked up a local in the middle for me was an unknown street, revealed a moment of true connection.. thanks Pia, what a wonderful meet!!

I rest there, no doubt more Rickshaw stories on their way.. thank you Bangalore, for these precious, unpredictable and quite hilarious moments.. 

Namaste

stay connected!