Hallucinations of an Artifact

In Hallucinations of an Artifact, the Indian choreographer Mandeep Raikhy turns to an 11cm-tall statuette to touch on the question of artifacts and their interpretation. The 4,500-year-old ‘Dancing Girl’ is considered to be the earliest evidence of dance in India. In 2016, Pakistan demanded the return of the artifact from India because it was originally excavated from Mohenjo-daro, a historic settlement in the province of Sindh in present-day Pakistan. The sculpture’s eventful history is mirrored in the varied interpretations of its subject-matter: Is she a dancer, warrior or even a goddess? And: How would she react to our own age?

Mandeep Raikhy uses artificial intelligence to bring her to life, entering into a dialogue with her through a choreographic interplay of traditional and contemporary dance vocabulary. The dancers move energetically, searchingly, tentatively through an obscure space, showing the ‘Dancing Girl’ on the Cumberland Stage as a playful spirit who refuses to be forced into any form or framework.

Mandeep Raikhy is currently one of the most important voices of contemporary dance in India. Known for his sensitive and at the same time political choreographies, he has been dealing with topics such as gender justice, queer activism or the separation of religion and state for over ten years. All this in a country which is undergoing a surge of Hindu nationalism and where same-sex love was forbidden until recently. He completed in Dance Theatre at Laban in 2002 and then toured with Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company, London between 2005 and 2009. Besides creating and touring with several dance works since 2008, Mandeep has worked to develop a supportive environment for contemporary dance in India through several initiatives such as Gati Dance Forum, Khuli Khirkee and the MA Performance Practice (Dance) at Ambedkar University, Delhi.