Ranan SchoolConnect Week Day 3: Rhythm Workhshop with Ranan

The third day of the Ranan SchoolConnect Week with students of La Martiniere for Boys and Akshar saw a Rhythm Workshop by Debashree Bhattacharya and Vikram Iyengar of Ranan. Playing with numbers, beats and beats within beats, tried to develop a sense of how dance forms like Kathak use rhythm, and also how playing with rhythm can be the base for a range of performance.

Continue reading for video excerpts and students' comments:

SchoolConnect Week Day 1: lecture demonstration by Scottish Dance Theatre

The first Ranan SchoolConnect Week kicked off on 1 November 2012 with a lecture demonstration by Scottish Dance Theatre at La Martiniere for Boys, Calcutta. Students from LMB and Akshar attended. SDT was represented by Artistic Director James MacGillivray, and dancers Natalie, Em, Matthew and Lewis. Beginning with a fun 'shaking out the body' session involving all the students, SDT took us through insights into their work - talking a little about Contemporary Dance followed by excerpts from their performance tomorrow, and examples of their improvisatory creative process. Throughout, the students were asked for responses to pieces - what did they read, feel, respond to. No proper stage or facilities, no technical support, no proper costumes ... and yet SDT made us all feel the magic, joy and power of dance every step of the way.

Continue reading for video excerpts and comments from the students:

Ranan SchoolConnect Week

In November 2011, we invited a group of educationists - teachers, headmistresses,vice principals and others - to the Ranan Workspace for an adda. The adda was to talk about the position and perception of arts in schools. The suggestions, feedback and valuable inputs and ideas from this adda have now evolved and led to the creation of the Ranan SchoolConnect programme. The programme aims to build value and appreciation for the arts in the youth of today.

Our first endeavour is the Ranan SchoolConnect Week:
7 days between 1 and 9 NOvember 2012, full of rich, exciting opportunities for students and teachers to delve into the world of performing arts and artistic expression.

Schools who have signed up for this programme are La Martiniere for Boys and Akshar. Students of both will be taking an exciting and varied journey with three companies:
Scottish Dance Theatre from Dundee, Scotland
Jana Natya Manch from Delhi
Ranan from Calcutta

Details of the schedule are given below
[please note: the programmes (except for the public performances by SDT and Janam) are open to a group of students from the aforementioned schools only. For more details on future SchoolConnect programmes, please email ranan.artsengage@gmail.com]

Thursday, 1 November: 
at La Martiniere for Boys
2pm to 3:30pm : Lecture Demonstration with Scottish Dance Theatre

Friday, 2 November: 
at Kala Mandir
2pm to 3pm : Technical Rehearsal with Scottish Dance Theatre for LMB students
4pm to 5pm : Technical Rehearsal with Scottish Dance Theatre for Akshar students
6.15pm (reporting time) to 8.30pm : Performance by Scottish Dance Theatre

Saturday, 3 November: 
at La Martiniere for Boys
10:30am to 12 noon : Workshop with Ranan on Rhythm and Movement

Monday, 5 November: 
at La Martiniere for Boys
2pm to 3.30pm  :Workshop with Ranan on Performing Text

Tuesday, 6 November: 
at Indian Council for Cultural Relations
6.15pm (reporting time) to 8.30pm : Performance of Jana Natya Manch’s Char Rang

Wednesday, 7 November: 
at Akshar
1.30pm to 2.45pm : Short play and discussion with Jana Natya Manch

Thursday, 8 November: 
venue to be confirmed
2pm to 3.30pm : Wrap up session with Ranan

Extras with the School Connect All Access Pass!
2 to 9 November - discounted tickets to all Rabindra Utsav shows
3 November – an adda with Scottish Dance Theatre at the Ranan Workspace
9 November – Ujle Safed Kabootar, a dramatized reading of poems for Palestine by Jana Natya Manch at the Ranan Workspace
till 31 March 2013 - free / discounted entry to Ranan programmes

For further details contact Dana Roy at 98314 37314 or send us an email at ranan.artsengage@gmail.com