Renowned dancer-choreographer Jayachandran Palazhi’s Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts in Bengaluru has completed 25 successful years of academic and cultural excellence in contemporary dance
Jayachandran Palazhi reminds one of Agni, the central character in M. Mukundan’s novel Nrittam (Dance), where a dancer from the West discovers a young villager named Balakrishnan, who impresses him with his fascinating Kalari moves and accompanies him to the glittering world of contemporary dance and showbiz. There, assuming the name Agni, whose glistening dark complexion, bald head and flawless moves stand out amidst the swirl of dancer bodies, he becomes a world-famous performer. What makes Jayachandran different is that his journey to fame was without a mentor and his skin tone is different from Agni.
At Pazhuvil, his native village in Thrissur, standing before the mirror, little Jayachandran used to imitate the expressions of dancers he saw at temple festivals. “Back then, I didn’t realise that there was a dancer in me. That happened later, during my college days,” he recalls. At college, he was an athlete, a badminton player and a cricketer, with a lot of admirers. Association with film clubs and thespians like G. Sankarapillai brought him closer to art and cultural forms. Post-graduation took him to Chennai, where he searched for a guru.
“I went to every school, master and finally landed at the doorstep of legendary dancer couple Santha and Dhananjayan. They took me in and thus began my dance career,” recalls Jayachandran, who went on to learn bharatanatyam, kuchipudi, yoga, kathakali, kalarippayattu, ballet, tai chi, capoeira, African dance, etc. Spending 14 years in the UK, at the London Contemporary Dance School, gave him a chance to objectively analyse Indian culture and come up with an idea – a school which focuses on the syntax, grammar and language of contemporary dance where priority is for student-centric education. In 1992, he set up Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts in Aluva, which, later, shifted base to Bengaluru. Rewinding to present, Aattakkalari, where theatre, arts and literature converge, has completed 25 successful years to become the most-sought-after contemporary dance institute in the country under the guidance of the artistic director and much-hailed dancer-choreographer Jayachandran.
His collaborations with big names in international contemporary scenario resulted in productions like City Maps, TransAvatar, Purushartha, Chronotopia, Aadhaarachakra, Bhinna Vinnyasa and so on. Attakkalari offers interlinked programmes like Diploma in Movement Arts and Mixed Media; research and documentation initiatives; education outreach programmes, stage solutions and Attakkalari India Biennial, the most significant contemporary dance and digital arts festival in South Asia. “Here, we conduct research into various traditional and folk art-dance forms and experiment with the concept of body in each, without compromising on the inner core of our culture,” he says, expressing joy over the growth of his centre as an intensive training institute that has groomed most of the major contemporary dance masters of the country.
Looking back at his scintillating career spanning over 30 years, the 58-year-old is glad and beaming, especially about Attakkalari, which now has five studios is Bangaluru. “Many young dancers hailing from humble backgrounds have become successful dancers, choreographers and teachers worldwide in sectors like stage, film, TV, fashion, design, social functions, fitness industry, therapy and even scientific research,” he explains. Jayachandran’s next mission is to start a branch of Attakkalari in Kerala and have a huge campus for the institute and international choreographers’ league.
