About Shakti and the Dunes
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Shakti’s mesmerising ‘Woman in the Dunes’ returns to Adelaide with a haunting dance performance
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Explore the unique dance performance “Woman in the Dunes” by Shakti at The Garage International, Adelaide Town Hall. This Indo-Japanese fusion delves into themes of survival, love, and existentialism through a surrealistic lens.
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Shakti and The Garage International are set to captivate Adelaide audiences with their latest performance, ‘Woman in the Dunes’. Scheduled over three days in February, this unique dance performance will take place at The Garage International in Adelaide Town Hall.
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“Woman in the Dunes” is inspired by the novel by Kobo Abe and presents an existential and surrealistic exploration of survival, love, and death. The narrative is unusually set within the metaphorical sand dunes of the mind. Shakti combines Eastern dance movements with Western jazz to create a performance that has been described as a “scintillating cocktail of the sacred and the profane” by the Montreal Eye.
The original music score for the performance is by Steven Severin, a former member of Siouxie and The Banshees and a notable figure in the London punk scene. This collaboration between Shakti and Severin seeks to provoke audience members’ subconscious and challenge their perceptions of eros and ecstasy.
Shakti’s background is deeply rooted in both Indian and Japanese cultures. She was trained in yoga by her Indian father and in Indian classical dance by her Japanese mother from the age of three. Her talents have been recognised widely; she was the second-place winner in the All Japan Dance Contest and the youngest recipient of the Kyoto Prefectural Government Arts and Culture Medal of Honour. Additionally, Shakti has garnered international acclaim, having won the ‘Spirit of the Fringe’ award twice at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Japan Festival Award in London.
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Her performances have reached a global scale, gracing stages in major cities including Moscow, Versailles, San Francisco, and New York. Shakti’s artistry has also led to creative collaborations with notable artists such as percussionist Evelyn Glennie, musician Kitaro, and various Japanese drum groups.
The premiere of “Woman in the Dunes” thrilled audiences at the London ICA in May 2000 and has since graced multiple prestigious festivals such as the Avignon Festival, Edinburgh Fringe, Tel Aviv International Festival, Adelaide Fringe in both 2001 and 2013, Montreal Fringe Festival, Tokyo Aoyama Enkei Theatre, and Kyoto Prefectural Arts Hall.
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This upcoming iteration at The Garage International promises a unique interpretation of space within the Adelaide Town Hall. The performance schedule includes sections such as The Dawning Existence, Dance of Sisyphus, Entrapment, Dance of Fear, Eros, Dance of Love, Enchantment, The Spell, Ecstasy, Dance of Liberation, and Exit The Sunset
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Various reviews have praised Shakti’s compelling performances. London’s What’s On noted her as “writhing across the battlefield of pornography and art with complete eroticized movement.”
Similarly, the Advertiser remarked that the show is “Not for the faint-hearted,” while the Independent recommended it as “a wild dance experience not to be missed.”
Through her dynamic and visually stunning performances, Shakti leaves her audiences, as described by the Montreal Gazette, “perfectly stunned,” showcasing her prowess through what Donald Hutera of London Time Out characterized as “curvaceous fluidity and demonic drive.”