Ashley Lobo channels the inner ‘Agni’ to lighten the pandemic blues

Ashley Lobo's piece, ’Agni’, will feature as a six-minute-long excerpt in a fundraising, virtual Gala by #ArtMatters. Originally created by his dance company Navdhara India Dance Theater, the full length, 65-minute piece titled Agni had its international premiere in Israel in 2018 at the Suzanne Dellal Center for Dance and Theater and its Indian premiere at the NCPA Mumbai.

The world has changed since then. During the current pandemic, Lobo has been adapting to the new normal, teaching dance enthusiasts online and designing fresh routines within confined spaces. He has also been constantly pondering the challenges presented by the COVID-19 crisis. He says, “I am acutely aware that the artistic and cultural landscape in the country has suffered financial and logistical devastation because of the pandemic. Performance oriented arts and events have come to a grinding halt. The impact of this stagnancy is far reaching, especially on daily wage artistes, performers, craftspeople and puppeteers whose regular stream of income has now dried up.”

The COVID-19 crisis has all but decimated the arts sector with scores of artists and artisans struggling to feed their families. Lobo hopes he can make a difference by participating in the #ArtMatters Gala. Ideated by the not-for-profit organisation Teamwork Fine Arts Society, #ArtMatters, has for the past four months been developing a support network for artistes in need.

The September 27 Gala will premiere as a live concert on Facebook. Its duration will be approximately 3-4 hours, with around 50-60 segments showcasing the various verticals of performing and visual arts. It will aim to not just raise funds for artists and artisans but to also celebrate their craft and historical roots with a medley of pre-recorded performances, collaborations, conversations and back stories.

Indian-Australian choreographer Ashley Lobo is considered to be one of the pioneering forces behind the growth of contemporary, international dance in India. He has also choreographed sequences for over 30 Hindi films (including Dhoom, Jab We Met, Namastey London, Cocktail) and as many stage productions. In 2013, he also judged the reality dance talent show India's Dancing Superstar on Star Plus, along with Riteish Deshmukh and Geeta Kapoor.

He is also a celebrated master of the Prana Paint technique, where he blends yoga with dance movements and the transforming energy of breath. In 2017, Lobo was invited to create a full-length contemporary dance production Das Dschungelbuch for the Ballet Chemnitz in Germany. In 2018, he worked with Zawirowania Dance Theater in Poland on a contemporary dance collaboration titled, The Crossing. In 2019, Lobo choreographed a full-length contemporary dance production Yama for Landestheater Linz in Austria.