Shobana Jeyasingh’s collaboration with composer Michael Nyman, Configurations, will be broadcast live via Facebook Premiere for free on Monday 20 April at 7PM, the first in a series exploring Shobana Jeyasingh Dance’s catalogue of dance over thirty years.
The original 2012 Configurations has been revisited and reimagined to give a glimpse into the beginning of Jeyasingh’s company's life. Nyman's music, here performed by Benyounes Quartet, became his String Quartet No. 2.
Dancers in the performance are Sooraj Subramaniam, Rathimalar Govindarajoo, Mohammad Khairi Mokthar and Mohd Yunus Ismail. Sooraj Subramaniam will be live online throughout the broadcast to answer questions about his involvement in the production.
Jeyasingh said, "Configurations launched the company with a newly commissioned score by Michael Nyman in 1988. It is a dance work that has shifted and changed, reflecting my own growth as a choreographer. In this final 're-imagining' of the work I have not sought to restage or revive earlier versions but rather bring to it my affection for the music, as well as the potential for adventure that Bharatha Natyam has always instilled in me."
The series will continue with Facebook Premieres of five more dance works choreographed by Jeyasingh: Faultline, Outlander, Too Mortal, Material Men and Staging Schiele.