MUKH, MUKHA, MUKHAA - VISAGES DE L'ASIE

Makh, Mukha. Mukhaa are words deriving from Sanskrit, and denote "face" in several languages of South and Southeast Asia, The choreographic process has been inspired by the various performing art traditions of India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand. reflecting an "Asian" aesthetic. It is a result of reflections on an "Asian" way of life, contemporary social problems, cultural beliefs and spirituality.

The roots of the performing arts of India and the Southeast Asian regions like Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar are deeply entwined, sharing a history that goes back more than two millennia. Like minors in a fun house, concave, convex, large, small, they reflect faces that are surreal, distorted, almost hallucinatory images of each other, multiple images that go on till infinite, exploring the depths of a shared aesthetic, a profound spirituality, a view of reality that is at once illusory and concrete.

While each region displays its own typical performing art styles, the similarities are obvious and can be seen in the physicality of these dance forms, in movements that reach towards the earth, the postures with legs turned out and knees bent, the stylised gesture language, as well as in the mental, emotional and spiritual approach to dance as a sacred practice. combining abstract movement with a story-telling dramatic aspect, sometimes leading to ritualistic, trance and healing practices. An energy remains coiled deep in the abdomen, throbbing in rhythm with the earth; exploding into movement or contained in such stillness.

That the Hutter of an eyelid, a glance of an eye establishes the connection, reveals this energy to be a part of that which links us all, Young Indian artist Sangeeta Isvaran is particularly engaged in the work with young people from underprivileged communities, such es refugees, street children, child sex workers etc.