Dance is one of the few things in the world that can transcend physical barriers and cultures. Eddie Nixon, the director of theatre and artist development at The Place, London, one of the most celebrated places for contemporary dance, is one such person, who has seen many decades of contemporary dance in the world. He has witnessed its evolution to what it is today.
As Eddie was in Chennai to share his expertise through a talk at the British Council, DC catches up with him to talk about all things dance.
Eddie, who was also judging a dance festival in the city during his time here, had this observation — “It was really interesting to see the intensity of approach people had towards the issues they want to speak about through their dance, which is everyone’s way to make their voices heard. It’s exciting to see the different flavours and approaches that emerge in India when it comes to contemporary dance,” Eddie enthusiastically shares.
Taking up tap and modern dancing classes as a young five-year-old, Eddie has also tried his hand at acting, and has appeared in The Sound of Music and Bugsy Malone on London’s West End. Over the many years of his dance career, he has noticed that dance has been able to bring people and cultures closer.
“There was very little difference between the performances that I watched in London and those that I watched here in Chennai. In a way, people across the world are working in similar ways and are using dance as their way to challenge issues. Dance language has been exchanged between the countries, and they are very same across the world now. There isn’t any exclusive contemporary dance to any countries, it’s just the influences that vary.”
Eddie feels that it is interesting how Chennai has been preserving its classical dance styles, despite the influence of western styles. “During my last visit, I enjoyed many traditional dance performances like Bharatanatyam. It made me aware of the richness of the culture through the dance, although I had seen these styles in London. This is the sort of dance that touches you. It is interesting how these dance forms are being preserved through years,” he says.
“I think dance has a special ability to connect people across the world. Many of our issues in the world are due to our unfulfilled desire to connect with people, and dance offers that possibility,” Eddie says with hope.
