When the curtains go up on the first edition of the four-day international contemporary dance festival, Movement Festival of Kerala (MFOK), on November 27, at the Kerala Fine Arts Hall, it would be the fruition of a dream for dancers/choreographers Sreejith P, Paris Laxmi and Abhilash VS to create a space for contemporary dance in Kerala. One where contemporary dance is understood as a practice and not merely a show of athleticism and physical flexibility that it is perceived as.

And at the core of MFOK is BOHO, a community of contemporary dancers the three dancers created. The three have been collaborators since 2021 when Sreejith called Laxmi to discuss this idea, of a community and a possible collaboration for it. That resulted in BOHO. Abhilash is also a dancer and one of Sreejith's students.

Nerpala | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Although Laxmi has made her name as an Indian classical dancer, she is trained in jazz, ballet and flamenco, which she teaches in Kochi. A platform like BOHO was an opportunity she had been wanting. "It arrived when I was desperately looking for other avenues to explore dance. If I had not found them [Sreejith and Abhilash], I would have done something myself," says Laxmi laughing. Earlier this year, in February, Laxmi's Maatr Art Foundation hosted a dance festival that showcased various dance forms including Indian classical.

Festival schedule As part of MFOK's outreach activities, artists from India and abroad have been conducting workshops before the performance festival, since November 17. These will conclude on November 26. The facilitators are Sarah Ellsworth from New Zealand, Abhilash Ningappa from Bengaluru and Shiraz Dagan from Israel. The performance festival will begin on November 27, with a performance, Reflet, by French company Compagnie Xuan Le at the Kerala Fine Arts Hall, presented in association with French Institute of India and Alliance Francaise.The performances from November 28 to November 30 will be held at JTPac, Tripunithura.November 28: Jaga Illa by Vishwakiran Nambi and C-Tactile by Shruti Datar (7pm; 8.15pm)November 29: To-Mould by Somya and Sarah, Pinnal by Dakshina, Mol by Myan Dance Company (6pm, 7.15pm, 8.45pm)November 30: Nerpala by Dileep Chilanka and Jwala by Mythili Prakash (6pm, 8pm) Tickets on indiaeve.com

Sreejith had been thinking of a community like BOHO for several years. A veteran choreographer, he speaks of providing opportunities to young dancers that he never had when he was young and starting his journey in dance.

"Space, time and opportunities were the things that I did not get, but I wanted to change that. I want youngsters and those interested to get the exposure and chances I did not have in the 1980s-90s," says Sreejith, best known for his recent choreography for the Malayalam film Moonwalk. It was something that always came up in his conversations with fellow performers -- dancers and choreographers. Abhilash was one such person.

Jaga Illa | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

"I started thinking differently about dance. And that thought process made me think of conceptual choreography when it comes to contemporary dance. That is, our choreography and practice be such that we speak of contemporary issues through dance. Give it the quality of a theatre production, of physical theatre, for instance," says Sreejith, also known as Sreejith Dazzler and has trained at Attakalari, Bengaluru. He has a dance studio, Dazzlers in Kochi.

BOHO became a reality post-COVID; its work includes conducting workshops and seminars besides stage productions. "It is a space for artists: writers, choreographers, art directors, actors... you name it. It is intended as a created space for them," adds Abhilash. Earlier, learning contemporary dance meant having to travel to Bengaluru, Goa or Mumbai, he adds. BOHO has been able to get choreographers to Kochi, providing dancers in the State, access to some of the best in the field.

C-Tactile | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

As of now they do not have a physical space and BOHO is being 'hosted' by Aal Studio at Valanjamabalam. It is a dream that they hope to realise but as a residency in order for visiting artists. So far it has facilitated 60-odd contemporary dance workshops with choreographers from India and abroad.

Although BOHO has not hosted a festival before, it has put up two productions: Transcendance, Laxmi's first with the community, staged in 2022, and 'The Hope Song' by AR Rahman as part of Aadujeevitham promotions in 2024.

MFOK is their first such attempt, on this scale, with which they hope to familiarise the audience with contemporary dance as a serious practice, like any other classical dance form.

Drawing an analogy with the classical dance forms, Sreejith says, "Take Kathakali, for instance. One's learning and familiarity with it makes for heightened appreciation...it is like that with contemporary dance. And that experience is gained by watching performances. We are trying to create awareness about it or educate."

Pinnal | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

It is not just the aspect of performance, "We want a shift in the perception of dance where the audience plays a more active or rather interactive role," adds Abhilash. He speaks of audiences at dance performances elsewhere questioning the dancers, wanting to know more about either the performance or the thought process behind a dancer's take, "As dancers we cannot perform in a vacuum, audience feedback makes the dancer think, find relevant answers..."

They have experimented with presenting a choreography differently during workshops and subsequent performances. One of those was having the performers move among the audience, making them a part of the show. They even had the performers sit among the audience. These are early days, but they are opitimistic.

The trio speaks of a serious approach to the form as opposed to what passes off as contemporary dance performed to Bollywood music. "It is possibly the influence of reality shows and television, which is unavoidable these days. We want dance to be thought provoking, " says Sreejith. "There is a lot more to contemporary dance than the moves..."

Laxmi adds, "There are different styles of it. Research, an understanding of the culture and background are important. That elevates the experience!"

Movement Festival of Kerala is from November 27 to November 30, at Fine Arts Hall and JTPac; tickets on indiaeve.com

Movement Festival of Kerala debuts in Kochi with a showcase of contemporary dance performances from India and abroad