Gandini Juggling: Sigma at Lancaster Arts
Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor
Sigma is Gandini Juggling’s new show which explores Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian style of dance. This stunning new production at Lancaster Arts collides juggling with narrative, and dance with geometry to push the boundaries of contemporary circus practice.
Gandini Juggling’s Sigma premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year where it was received and welcomed with a garland of four and five-star reviews.
Always challenging the confines of their art form, Gandini Juggling have a sterling reputation for innovation. Their previous shows, perhaps most particularly Smashed and 4×4 Ephemeral Architectures, have all challenged perceptions of what juggling is and what it can be and have found new ways to push the threshold of the genre into a whole new direction.
Sigma explodes these dialogues further and seeks to showcase the multiplicity between Bharatanatyam dance, juggling and percussion. The show has been developed in partnership with Seeta Patel, a specialist in Bharatanatyam aesthetics, dancer Indu Panday and Kati Ylä-Hokkala & Kim Huynh, both pioneering jugglers from Gandini Juggling.
Gandini Juggling’s Sigma investigates classical Indian geometries, mathematics, and rhythm by looking at similarities and differences, processes and choreographic architectures. Smashing binaries between the momentum of objects in the air against the changing pace of the dancer’s body, Gandini Juggling’s Sigma investigates the musical structure and rhythmical cycles of classical Indian dance. Showcasing exuberant rhythms, patterns and colours, Sigma is a unique interpretation of the South Indian dance form, Bharatanatyam.
Running at around 60 minutes long and suitable for ages 8+, Sigma is a perfectly crafted piece of work which incorporates an irresistible musical score and a backdrop of striking multimedia projections, guaranteed to leave audiences mesmerised.
