All the world's a stage

Dance performances are synonymous with a stage, green room and theatre hall. But what if a performance wasn't bound to these elements and dancers performed in a restaurant, park or museum? As unimaginable as it may be, this new trend has become popular across the world and is slowly making ts way into the Indian dance scene.
Known as site-specific performances, these shows break away from the traditional and move into unconventional spaces, which don't have typical elements like curtains or changing rooms.By using driveways, hotel lobbies, gal eries and pubs instead of a stage, dancers are changing prevalent notions of performance.
“In such shows, the site is most important. The choreography is based on its architectural eatures. Our memories and past experiences of the space are redefined by the performance which creates new images and associations," says Jayachandran Palazhy, founder and artisic director of Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, Bengaluru, explaining how the troupe redefined preconceived ideas of a historic site like Purana Kila in Delhi by depicting stages of urbanisation that occurred in the country.
Its break from traditional performances makes it appealing. “Through site-specific performances we are no longer restricted by space or linearity of the stage-audience setup. It is more of a 360 degree performance where any space available is your stage and any person in and around the space is your audience," says creative director of Pune-based SPACE, Swapnil Dagliya, whose studio has dedicated a sitespecific evening as part of their Avayava Contemporary Dance Festival, which will be held in April 2016.
What makes these performances more engaging is the involvement of the audience.From being passive viewers, the audience now interacts and connects with the performers.“It is a much more intimate relationship that we share with the audience. It also gives more courage to a performer who faces complete strangers and is no longer separated from the audience by a stage," says Chennai-based High Kicks' choreographer and creative director Aparna Nagesh, whose all-girls' ensemble is one of the first to carry out site-specificperformances in the city.
If the audience moves around, then you improvise on the spot, says Nagesh, adding that she uses a map with the layout of the space during practice sessions. Artists say the audience has been very receptive to this new trend. “While the audience is taking its time to make sense of this art form, they are very excited about it," says Palazhy.
Nagesh says site-specific performances are a wonderful way to intro duce the art form to new audiences. In her shows, she uses aids like flyers apart from a short briefing, which helps them.
Many of these performances are centered on social causes and are seen as innovative ways to spread awareness. “Our themes have always been socially relevant, like raising awareness on breast cancer," says Dagliya.
For Nikhil Khicha, owner of the restaurant New Yorker, his first viewing of a similar per formance by High Kicks on women's rights was so interesting that he plans on introducing such shows in his restaurant.
Performances in such spaces are more con venient than traditional theatre halls as they are less expensive, say performers.
In most cases, dancers make use of different elements like tables, chairs and windows as props during the performance. Palazhy says if external props are essential, dancers can use them, explaining how his troupe used bikes in their show at Trafalgar Square, London.
But a major difference between site-specific performances abroad and in the country is the kind of spaces that can be chosen. “It is very difficult to get permission to use public spaces like pavements and streets unlike in foreign countries where getting permission is easier," says Nagesh.