TELLING STORIES, SINGING SONGS: Ranan SchoolConnect programme - March 2014

telling stories ~ singing songs A two day journey opening the imagination and exploring the joys of storytelling People did not wait until there was writingbefore they told stories and sang songs. Albert Bates Lord “Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Foolishness the king and the minister  were both idiots” Click here for details

Looking back at the 3-Day programme of August 2013

Roopkatha Banerjee of Mahadevi Birla World Academy was one of the students on Ranan's 3-day

Day 1 workshop at MBWA

SchoolConnect journey 'Music-Movement-Madness', which explored music, sound and the lack of it through a workshop, an interaction and a performance.

Here is a poem she sent us on the Ranan SchoolConnect Hangout on Facebook after the performance on the third day...

The Sombre Silence.

26 August 2013 at 18:50

Today, I am no longer whole.
I have been wounded,

And thrust in this cage for all eternity;

They have taken away my music.

They have stripped me of my soul,

They have torn apart my limbs,

Piece by piece. Yet; I am ashamed to face them.

"Speak a little louder, for I am deaf."

Despair and denial sets in,

Like a noose around my neck.

I am choking; I cannot breathe

....do I truly deserve this?

The robin's happy chirp,

The beat of their tiny wings;

Absorbed. Like blotting paper.

This thundering quiet; is all I have left.

And this is truly, the worst fate,

He has an embittered sense of humour.

The last strains of those faint notes,

I can still taste on my lips; it is like nicotine to me.

I pray fervently, for a miracle.

I desperately hold on, in search of redemption.

Suddenly, I realized why he looked that way;

He had retreated into his own noiseless world.

I writhe in mortal agony,

But there is no pain

It is only;

Silence.

My own self fights back,

It claws at me from within.

Self-acceptance; the one thing

That I dread more than life itself.

I am ready.

Ready to face death, head on.

But; I am not ready.

I must first express all, that is within.

Those furious scribbles on the worn out parchment,

The faded grooves on the old record,

These, are what I live for.

Yet; these are what I die for..

Here are some glimpses of the 3 days, which ultimately inspired Roopkatha to write.

Thank you to all the students and staff of Mahadevi Birla World Academy, La Martiniere for Girls and Ballygunge Shiksha Sadan for being part of this amazing journey.

Beethoven, music and deafness: Ranan SchoolConnect programme in August

Music 

Movement 

Madness

How do you hear?

A 3 day journey that explores music,sound and the lack of it.

How do you listen to music with your whole body?

SchoolConnect - 10 January 2013

33 Students from Mahadevi Birla World Academy attended the first of the 2 day SchoolConnect programme. After a fun game of moving house, the session began with students giving an adjective for a House - responses ranged from crazy to haunted to Chocolate !

This was followed by a short discussion, led by Vikram - on adjectives for Home versus House and which of those could be applied to dance.


Then came the fun part of building houses !
The girls soon transformed into pillars and swings and clocks - and some shoes turned into a rangoli ! Other students were invited to visit these houses.



Before the students watched excerpts from Dialoge 09-Neues Museum, Vikram gave them a short introduction to Sasha Waltz - especially her international Dialoge projects.







All these students were witness to an exclusive show of Dialoge 2013 - Kolkata followed by a question-answer session with Sasha Waltz herself on 11.Jan .

Once in a lifetime encounter for school students.

Happy New Year!  We are truly delighted to begin the year with a tremendously exciting SchoolConnect opportunity. Sasha Waltz one of the most sought after choreographers in the world today, will be in Calcutta to create a unique site specific performance piece as part of her international Dialoge projects. The Dialoge projects have become her trademark “they demonstrate the boldness and pioneering spirit of a choreographer who has given dance new meaning and popularity.” It is her first Dialoge piece in India created specifically in and with an architectural Calcutta location, so it will not be seen again anywhere else in the world. It is also her first collaboration with Padmini Chettur, one of the foremost contemporary choreographers in India. Sasha Waltz has repeatedly conquered new spaces for dance – and repeatedly reinvented herself as a choreographer. From the start, her creations evolved in confrontation with other art forms and were mainly characterised by the influence of architecture and the visual arts. Ranan is pleased to present an opportunity for school students to be part of this once in a life-time experience. The SchoolConnect programme will be on two days – 10th & 11th January 2013 Please contact ranan.artsengage@gmail.com or  9831256730 for any queries or confirmations. For full address of venue and details on the public shows from 12th to 14th please click here

Ranan SchoolConnect 10th January:  1pm: registration and payment 1:30 to 3 pm: An introduction to contemporary dance, and the work of Sasha Waltz. Venue: Max Mueller Bhavan auditorium 11th January: (evening) Exclusive show for students the day before the official premiere of the show, followed by a question-answer session with Sasha Waltz herself and her company. Venue: Jorasanko Rajbati on Chitpur Road Large numbers are welcome, but kindly confirm numbers to reserve slots, and avoid disappointment. Charges are Rs 200 per child for the 2 day programme. Accompanying teachers are free. Accompanying parents are welcome on the 11th with advance booking

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: