British Council director Alan Gemmell Obe is reaching out to the Indian youth by digitising contemporary dance. By Kritika Dua
Mix The Body is India’s first ever digital contemporary choreography project undertaken by the British Council of India. It will provide a digital platform to all the dance enthusiasts making it an interactive and one of its kind dance experience. People can learn contemporary dance in the comfort of their homes using a website or an application.
Talking about the mix series, Alan Gemmell Obe said, “It was a chance to develop the idea of creating a series of online cultural experiences for people all over the world. We wanted to take the best of our physical face to face work and move it to the online space. We also wanted to inspire and create awareness among people who will be able to access music (Mix the City), theatre (Mix the Play) and dance (Mix the body).
“A few years ago we started to create this mix series with Mix the City where we invited 12 musicians to work with us and record them in certain locations in the city,” shared Obe. If Mix the City is about one turning into a musician, Mix the Play is about one becoming a director. “last year, we took a leap from the music concept to theatre. We worked with Adil Hussain and Kalki Koechlin to create Mix the Play where you could direct them in a scene from Shakespeare,” he added.
Alan revealed that before he came to India it was his deep desire to work with Wayne McGregor, one of the world’s best choreographer. In March 2016, they started working with Studio Wayne McGregor on the Mix the Body project that they thought of creating a platform for the unique and incredible work of McGregor to connect with the India audience. Both Studio Wayne McGregor and Attakkalari Dance Company joined hands along with the best composers to give shape to Mix the Body. Obe added, “At its core we are opening up the world of music, theatre and dance to people around the globe.” So far 1.5 million people in over 200 countries have experienced the mix concept. And he is confident that the number will rise with Mix The Body.
The mix series has received an encouraging response from the time it came into being. “When we started this project of digital culture we wanted a million people to connect with the products we create. Since we launched Mix The City two years ago we have got a tremendous response from people.” Initiatives like these are expanding the reach of music, theatre and dance, making them easily accessible. The tech brains behind the mix series is Flying Object.
Their other initiatives include a nationwide English teaching experience called My English through which they have tried to replicate the experience of a British Council classroom online and an online version of their library will be live soon. He considers internet as a powerful medium to connect with people, especially youth, promote curiosity and celebrate diversity.