Hindu sacred dance

Mon 9 November

This was an altogether surprising session, with Yuval Cohen. As our coach (as always very late!) picked its way through the back streets of Tel Aviv, we passed a building with huge windows – I (Jan) saw a person standing at the window, with a body expressing boredom and frustration in equal measure… as the coach did a U turn, I realised this was where we were heading, and he – for it was Yuval – was our guide through the rhythms and the gestures of karnatic dance. Only one person in our party was Indian, and even she wondered what this was about!

For me, Yuval was the re-embodiment of Lindsay Kemp (I was going to say re-incarnation but I’m convinced he’s still alive!) in terms of body shape and mass, facial expression and gesture, style and lightness, strength and grace, costume, decoration and his mesmeric quality… and outrageously camp, of course! An inspiring afternoon.

See the Slideshow of the workshop.