A POST-MODERN DANCE: CREATED COLLECTIVELY BY A MULTI-GENERATIONAL ENSEMBLE OF NEPALI WOMEN + GIRLS

Venue: Taragaon Museum, Kathmandu

During Reid's Fulbright Creative Arts grant, in March 2016, after several months of collaboration, AAMAA, was performed at Taragaon Museum for the Kathmandu Triennale.

During the collaborative and rehearsal process, the multi-generational ensemble of dancers learned about post-modern dance and scoring, had discussions about their lives, drew self portraits, and became a collective with a common language under the guidance and facilitation of Reid. She felt that the content had to come from the women, she could only give the tools and direction.

The ensemble was made up of kathak dancers, non-performers, children, actresses, b-girls and flamenco dancers. The work focused on inter-generational collaboration and the ensemble members ranged in age from 8 to 73 years old. In addition, the ensemble worked throughout the rehearsal process with a group of musicians, learning how to improvise and converse through movement and music.

AAMAA, meaning 'mother' in Nepali, became a work about the group's rituals, relationships, varied female identities, histories, sexuality, and spirituality. You can read more about the process in Irina Giri's article for the Kathmandu Post, called 'The Person in a Woman'.

all photos by Sonam Choekyi Lama

Performers: Agria Singh, Rejisna Khati, Bijaya Tripathi, Arpana Lama, Jenisha Maharjan, Sumnima Sampang, Pooja Gurung, Subima Shrestha, Mithila Sharma, Honey Shrestha

Musicians: Shreeti Pradhan, Irina Giri, Kishan Shrestha, Mannu Shahi, Pranav Manandhar

Creator: Ryan Elisabeth Reid