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Anusha Subramanyam - From the Heart

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The piece From the Heartby Anusha Subramanyam contrasted the stylised, controlled movements of traditional Asian dance form, Bharatanatyam, with ‘ordinary’ gestures. She took us on an extraordinary journey, telling stories through movement from the lyrical to the nightmarish.

She begins with miming picking flowers, smelling their fragrance, throwing them to the audience, breaking them into confetti. There is a soundtrack like rain and she dances playfully with water, splashing it on her face, kicking puddles.

She creates a child presence on stage to whom she throws a ball. She demonstrates skills a premier league football player would be proud of. The music is traditional Asian singing with a rhythmic drumbeat. Then she seems to lift the child up and lay it down - her gestures become those of grief and fear. She covers her face with her hands; hands which unfurl and make exquisite gestures at other times. A finger pointing to a temple needs no translation. Throughout her face evokes powerful emotions, completely in tune with her movements.

The music changes, sonorous voices, ghostly. The hands make the flapping gesture pointing at the ears that teenagers make when someone is talking too much. She throws her hands down in a gesture that says, ‘Enough!’  She enacts the torment of hearing voices and later, hallucination. Finally she strides purposefully forward, crosses her clenched fists in a gesture of strength.

Anusha Subramanyam: ‘My aim was to share the joy I felt working with severely disabled and mentally ill people…. From vulnerability comes strength, to be very vulnerable and raw.’ 

In my view she more than achieved her aim.

Review by Jo Bodley


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  • Home
  • Grimm's Online
  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Archive - 2015
  • Archive - 2017
  • Archive - 2018
    • Gill Manly
    • Scottee
    • Parabolic Theatre Company
    • Sarah Blanc / DISCO DISCO
    • Vinicius Salles
    • Anusha Subramanyam / SLiDE
    • Pop-Up Opera
    • Richard DeDomenici
    • Anita Wadsworth
    • Soho Theatre / Talawa Theatre Company
    • CroydonWrites 2018 >
      • Gill Manly
      • Scottee
      • Parabolic Theatre Company
      • DISCO DISCO
      • Sarah Blanc
      • Vinicius Salles
      • SLiDE
      • Anusha Subramanyam
      • Pop Up Opera
      • Richard DeDomenici
      • Anita Wadsworth
      • Natasha Marshall
  • ARCHIVE - 2019
    • Paula Varjack
    • Vinicius Salles
    • Two Destination Language
    • Parabolic Theatre Company
    • Sh!t Theatre
    • Vanessa Macaulay
    • Gill Manly & Joanna Scanlan
    • Ellard/Lech
    • Anita Wadsworth
    • Workshop with Catherine Pestano
    • CroydonWrites 2019 >
      • Who we are...
      • Paula Varjack / The Cult of K*nzo
      • Vinicius Salles / Disruptive Narratives
      • Two Destination Language / Fallen Fruit
      • Parabolic Theatre Company / Crisis? What Crisis?
      • Sh!t Theatre / Sh!t Theatre Drink Rum with Expats
      • Vanessa Macaulay / Made not Born
      • Gill Manly & Joanna Scanlan / The Elephant in the Room
      • Ellard & Lech / Döden
      • Anita Wadsworth / Mother
  • ARCHIVE - 2020
    • Hannah Maxwell
    • Richard DeDomenici & Jess Mabel Jones
    • Tayo Aluko
    • Byron Vincent
    • Ellie Scanlan
    • Jenny Lockyer
    • Teatro Vivo
    • Trevor Lock
    • Shaniqua Benjamin & Well Versed Ink
    • Gill Manly Ellie Scanlan
    • SLiDE 2020
    • Parabolic Theatre Company