Our bedroom is probably our most personal space. A place that allows us to connect fearlessly with our inner-self without the need for camouflage…
Yuteka Trripati, a city-based dance artist conceptualised an experimental contemporary dance performance to reflect the dilemma inside one’s bedroom. Yuteka believes that her love for dance surfaced, even before she can remember.
A contemporary dance artist, cross fit trainer, and a PADI scuba diving instructor, Yuteka Trripati has a degree in dance from NAFA, Singapore and a diploma from Attakkalri Centre of Movement Arts, Bengaluru.
We spoke to Yuteka to understand her thoughts on this dance representation of the dilemma faced by people, in and out of the bedroom.
“What is the most private space for you in the whole world? Where no one else can figure what you are doing?
There is no judgement with the walls your only companion, you tend to be who you really are, and not what you believe the world should perceive you as.
“We who are lucky, to have a space like that, would say, it’s definitely our bedroom. In this piece, The Bedroom symbolises these private spaces, where they are comfortable being themselves,” she explains.
The piece is divided into five acts, each act deals with a different situation, all of which relate to the central theme of a bedroom.
“The first solo talks about identity crisis, and an individual dealing with the personal dilemma in life, which is followed by a duet that I have choreographed, on the theme of inter dependency of two individuals.
“Not always do we get someone, who reciprocates the way we want them to. Especially when we start depending on them emotionally, it becomes tough when that someone we goes away from us…
“The third piece is much lighter and is based in the setting of a sleepover. It is performed by four dancers and works with group behaviour. As we see it so often around us, even in closed groups, not everyone enjoys everyone’s company. People try to alienate those who don’t ‘fit in’, especially in group gatherings much like a sleepover.
“Then, I have worked with two girls on a piece, that is inspired by the behavioural changes between two people in love, when they are in private and in public.
It’s a shame that we have to hide our feelings in order to blend into the society, yet we all do it on a regular basis.
“The last solo performance is based on the role of a woman in society. What she is expected to do and how that keeps going on. Countless duties as a daughter, wife, daughter in law, mother and a woman.
“I have tried to bring out what I feel she goes through, and how good it would feel to break out of this routine for once, by being the individual she is, and not what the world is expecting her to be.”
When quizzed if the performance seeks any reference from her experiences or analysis, she says, “all the choreographed pieces are very personal.
Not just for me, but even for the dancers. I choreographed these pieces, but my dancers put life into it by going into the character. I worked with ideas that I found interesting enough for exploring via dance, and that we could relate to, as a society.
The interpretation of the performance is left to the audience. Stating this, she says, “If I tell you a story, you see it only from my point of view. But if I give you something to ponder over, you will interpret it with your personal experience and thought process, which makes it more open.
My aim is to touch a part in the audience’s hearts that they don’t usually think about, give them a spark and let their minds wander!
It is way deeper than merely storytelling, this is like giving fuel to their thought process, and then let that take them wherever the mind goes. Each person in the audience has had a different life, different experience, then why give them only one story,” she adds.
Yuteka uses shadow and light effects and the selection of music is vast, to give a more realistic feel to her audience.
Explaining the idea behind it, she says, “The shadow was for the duet about two people who love each other and how they are when the curtains are drawn. So visually, we see what’s happening on the other side of the curtain- inside their bedroom; how comfortable they are with touch and how smooth they are with one another.
The same people are scared of the glares of the society. The same touch becomes a taboo, the tenderness turns into pushing each other away.
“Lights played a major role in this piece, as I have tried to portray different spaces using different kinds of lights, like the torch, LED wires, shadow, fairy lights, lanterns, etc.
“Moreover, I love to experiment with music. I first choreographed the individual pieces, then started researching for music I had in mind. I have a fantastic music composer, Ramya Thiyagarajan, who composed two lovely pieces that were tailor made for the dance.”
Signing off, Yuteka shares, “learning performing arts was not easy. But my passion for dance helped me overcome many hurdles. There is nothing better than the feeling that dance gives you, at least for me,” she gleams.
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Reach her at loveleen@pune365.com or tweet @KaurKaur18
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