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Tafadzwa Zimoyo : Arts Reporter
India-based French dancer and choreographer Gilles Chuyen said the differences in languages across the world can be erased through dance. Chuyen, who put a scintillating performance during the launch of India in the Sunshine City Festival in the capital on Wednesday, said Zimbabweans should brace for more cultural fusion dances.Diplomats, ministers, socialites, arts promoters, and gurus attended the colourful themed event.
The festival is running for 10 days under the theme,’Celebrate India in Zimbabwe’ in a bid to bring cultures of the two countries together.
In an interview with The Herald Review, Chuyen said the people of Zimbabwe are beautiful and fun-loving.
“I am enjoying my stay so far and this is a beautiful country and looking forward to work with dancers and entertainers during the course of the week,” he said.
Chuyen is expected to conduct dancing lessons and workshop at Reps Theatre during his stay as part of the festival programme.
He said there is a lot to be learnt between the two countries when it comes to dancing and will introduce the Bollywod style too.
“We all know about the Bollywood film industry and it has developed over the past years. It also became a style of acting and dancing. I will collaborate with other African dancers to come up with something worthwhile.”
The Bollywood-style dance is only a small fraction of his passion for movement as a liberating human expression.
“I will be happy to share some of the routines and conducting some workshops at Reps Theatre in Harare,” he said.
Chuyen did ballet for more than 10 years, explored other genres, touching on modern jazz and contemporary among others.
He compares those ‘hidden messages’ to the mudrahs (hand gestures) and abhinayas (face expressions) practiced in India’s classical dance forms.
Recently he performed another solo contemporary dance show entitled
The Colour White, which he created in collaboration with an India-based Iranian musician, Fakhroddin Ghaffari.
The Colour White was performed within the first round of Expressions – International Contemporary Dance Festival, a three-day annual event launched by the Teamwork Arts which showcased contemporary dance from India and the West. The India in the Sunshine City festival has a lot of lined up activities which include musical, dance, theatre and food fair happening at different venues.
Multiple award-winner Sonam Karla is billed to perform during the festival while an exciting imagery of colours, gorgeous costumes and the razzmatazz fantastic sets, all combined to create the pallet that replicates Bollywood is expected.
Online Reporter