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DANCING THROUGH THE DARKNESS: A VICTIM OF BULLYING, ROGER SINHA FOUND ACCEPTANCE IN DANCE AND IS NOW A RESPECTED CHOREOGRAPHER
By: Holly Harris
UpTown Magazine
http://www.uptownmag.com/arts/dance/Dancing-through-the-darkness-134777433.html
Dec 1 2011
Winnipeg, Canada
WCD company dancers under the direction of choreographer Roger Sinha.
(LEIF NORMAN) Montreal-based choreographer Roger Sinha knows a thing
or two about hard knocks.
The son of an Indian father and an Armenian mother, Sinha recounts
being beaten up every day at school as an eight-year-old kid in
Saskatoon, ridiculed for the colour of his skin and made to feel like
a social leper in his own community. After his growing interest in
martial arts - he earned a black belt in karate at 17 to survive the
bullying - morphed into a love for dance, he was trounced again by
a ballet teacher who flatly told him he would never become a dancer
due to his physique.
"I was devastated because I was good," Sinha says. "I was told I was
one of the best dancers in the class. It was rejection all over again."
That would make anyone want to give up. However, those tough early
days only forged Sinha's resolve, leading him to become a critically
acclaimed dancer renowned for his searing, autobiographical works.
Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers presents his latest creation with the
world premiere of Left Hook, Right Jab and other musical notes. The
triple bill, simply titled Sinha, Lott and Browne, runs Dec. 1 to 4 at
the Rachel Browne Theatre and includes two premieres by WCD artistic
director Brent Lott as well as founding artistic director Rachel
Browne. The show marks only the third time Sinha has created for the
47-year-old company that last performed his riveting Benches in 1996.
"I have always been a fan of Roger's work," Lott says. "I love the
complicated rhythms and the bursts of energy, all done with amazingly
intricate hand and finger placement. Every time I am in the studio
with Roger and the dancers, they seem to be having a great time."
The intensely physical piece merges classical Indian dance with
contemporary vocabulary, martial arts, theatre and gestural Bharata
Natyam dance from India. It also includes a liberal dose of Sinha's
sardonic wit and a pastiche score the self-confessed technophile
cobbled together using Garage Band.
Born in London, England ("I was brought up on fish 'n' chips, not
curry," he quips), Sinha, 51, came to Canada with his family in 1968.
His immigrant parents' desire for him to follow a more traditional,
financially secure path led to Sinha studying economics at the
University of Toronto. He quickly realized his true passion lay in the
arts, dropped out of university and began professional dance training
at the relatively late age of 23. After several years exploring
his own artistic voice, which was influenced by a love of disco and
films such as All That Jazz, Sinha established his Montreal-based
contemporary dance company, Sinha Danse, in 1991.
A turning point came the following year. Inspired by Quebecois
artists Robert Lepage, Ginette Laurins and Denys Arcand, who crafted
works based on their personal experiences, Sinha created his highly
acclaimed Burning Skin, which explored his ethnic heritage. To his
great surprise, the autobiographical piece received rave reviews
and catapulted him onto the national stage. The artist who spent his
formative years feeling like an outcast finally felt accepted on his
own terms.
"It's saved me," Sinha quickly responds when asked what dance means to
him. "It's given me a family. It has given me a place to belong. To
be among people who are like-minded, other dancers and creators,
has been liberating.
"When you're an artist, it's important to know who you are," he says.
"I'm celebrating my roots."
Sinha, Browne and Lott Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers Dec. 1 - 4,
Rachel Browne Theatre
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
By: Holly Harris
UpTown Magazine
http://www.uptownmag.com/arts/dance/Dancing-through-the-darkness-134777433.html
Dec 1 2011
Winnipeg, Canada
WCD company dancers under the direction of choreographer Roger Sinha.
(LEIF NORMAN) Montreal-based choreographer Roger Sinha knows a thing
or two about hard knocks.
The son of an Indian father and an Armenian mother, Sinha recounts
being beaten up every day at school as an eight-year-old kid in
Saskatoon, ridiculed for the colour of his skin and made to feel like
a social leper in his own community. After his growing interest in
martial arts - he earned a black belt in karate at 17 to survive the
bullying - morphed into a love for dance, he was trounced again by
a ballet teacher who flatly told him he would never become a dancer
due to his physique.
"I was devastated because I was good," Sinha says. "I was told I was
one of the best dancers in the class. It was rejection all over again."
That would make anyone want to give up. However, those tough early
days only forged Sinha's resolve, leading him to become a critically
acclaimed dancer renowned for his searing, autobiographical works.
Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers presents his latest creation with the
world premiere of Left Hook, Right Jab and other musical notes. The
triple bill, simply titled Sinha, Lott and Browne, runs Dec. 1 to 4 at
the Rachel Browne Theatre and includes two premieres by WCD artistic
director Brent Lott as well as founding artistic director Rachel
Browne. The show marks only the third time Sinha has created for the
47-year-old company that last performed his riveting Benches in 1996.
"I have always been a fan of Roger's work," Lott says. "I love the
complicated rhythms and the bursts of energy, all done with amazingly
intricate hand and finger placement. Every time I am in the studio
with Roger and the dancers, they seem to be having a great time."
The intensely physical piece merges classical Indian dance with
contemporary vocabulary, martial arts, theatre and gestural Bharata
Natyam dance from India. It also includes a liberal dose of Sinha's
sardonic wit and a pastiche score the self-confessed technophile
cobbled together using Garage Band.
Born in London, England ("I was brought up on fish 'n' chips, not
curry," he quips), Sinha, 51, came to Canada with his family in 1968.
His immigrant parents' desire for him to follow a more traditional,
financially secure path led to Sinha studying economics at the
University of Toronto. He quickly realized his true passion lay in the
arts, dropped out of university and began professional dance training
at the relatively late age of 23. After several years exploring
his own artistic voice, which was influenced by a love of disco and
films such as All That Jazz, Sinha established his Montreal-based
contemporary dance company, Sinha Danse, in 1991.
A turning point came the following year. Inspired by Quebecois
artists Robert Lepage, Ginette Laurins and Denys Arcand, who crafted
works based on their personal experiences, Sinha created his highly
acclaimed Burning Skin, which explored his ethnic heritage. To his
great surprise, the autobiographical piece received rave reviews
and catapulted him onto the national stage. The artist who spent his
formative years feeling like an outcast finally felt accepted on his
own terms.
"It's saved me," Sinha quickly responds when asked what dance means to
him. "It's given me a family. It has given me a place to belong. To
be among people who are like-minded, other dancers and creators,
has been liberating.
"When you're an artist, it's important to know who you are," he says.
"I'm celebrating my roots."
Sinha, Browne and Lott Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers Dec. 1 - 4,
Rachel Browne Theatre
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress