About the performance

Sankalpam's Corpo-realities is a journey through dance and diversity that challenges ideas about form and identity and stirs debate around artistic freedom. With choreography by Stephanie Schober, Luca Silvestrini (Protein) and Stella Uppal-Subbiah/Phillip Zarrilli, this triple-bill follows five dancers as they uncover irony, tension and drama in three very different choreographic approaches. For the Decibel showcase, an extract is performed.

Key Personnel

Stella Uppal Subbiah - co-Artistic Director/choreographer/dancer
Mira Balchandran Gokul - co-Artistic Director
Luca Silvestrini - Choreographer
Stephanie Schober - Choreographer
Phillip Zarrilli - Director (of Stella Uppal Subbiah piece)
Paul Green - Lighting Designer
Sarah Trist - Manager
Charlie Ashwell, Kamala Devam, Lucia Tong- Dancers

Production Information

Running time at full length: 75 minutes

Suitable for all ages

Use of medium text

Use of recorded music

Requires a clear understanding of English

Touring Information

Small scale show (up to 400 seats)

Appropriate for a studio setting

Number of people on tour: 6

Number of performers on stage: 5

Available to book tours on request

Outreach and Educational Work

Professional development: Dancers in training and semi-professional dancers are offered the opportunity to attend workshops and residencies in which the principles of Bharata Natyam and contemporary performance are used to teach the classical form.

The emphasis is on the skills required for performing and on expanding perception and experience of physical technique. By reducing the exoticism and cultural specificity, Sankalpam makes connections with other dance practices which are available for the practitioner to use in different contexts later on.

Workshops for young people:

Young people with and without experience of Bharata Natyam can develop new skills as dancers, building on the experience of participants attending Indian dance schools/youth groups and introducing young dancers who are beginners to the form.

Company History

Sankalpam was established in 1995 by Valli Subbiah, Mira Balchandran
Gokul (Co-Artistic Director), Vidya Thirunarayan and Stella Uppal
Subbiah (Co-Artsitic Director). All four trained professionally in
Bharata Natyam at the Kalakshetra College of Fine Arts in Chennai,
India.

Sankalpam has toured ten productions nationally, undertaken three
major research and development projects and has established a
reputation for high quality original dance performances and education
work.

The company has received commissions to create new work from national
dance agencies, theatres and arts centres and has developed training
courses with higher education partners, notably contributing to the BA
Performing Arts degree course at the London School of Contemporary
Dance.

The company has received commissions from a wide range of
partners, including Hampshire Dance Trust, The Point, Eastleigh,
Swindon Dance, Merseyside Dance Initiative and Art Asia.

Recent Productions / Tours

Corpo-realities is the company's first new production for five years.

Reviews

"Sheer brilliance … their discipline is awesome" - The Stage.

"Has the confidence to embrace the future whilst embracing the past" - The Guardian