Dancers take inspiration from Ms Pac
Three London-based dancers have received a £10,000 commission to create a Bharatanatyam performance inspired by 1980s video games like Ms. Pac-Man. The project explores the intersection of classical Indian dance and the unpredictable, gamified nature of digital mazes.
Why it matters
This project highlights innovative cross-disciplinary art that blends traditional cultural practices with modern digital gaming aesthetics.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Grace Wood Yorkshire Talha Imam Dancers Sneha Semaleesan, Kavya Iyer and Devaki Rajendran have been inspired by video games Ms Pac-Man and her 1980s video game contemporaries may not seem the most obvious inspiration for classical Indian dance routines. But three performers are channelling the 8-bit characters for their latest venture.
Bradford Arts Centre has awarded Kavya Iyer, Devaki Rajendran and Sneha Semaleesan £10,000 for their project to create semi-improvised Bharatanatyam shows.
The centre's Kala Sangam Commission supports the creation of performance work featuring classical Indian art forms.
The London-based dancers have begun work on the project, with the aim of a premiere performance at Bradford Arts Centre in 2028.
Semaleesan says the project arose from the question: "What if we could gamify the experience of improvisation?
"Kavya had done an exploration in this space, which looked a bit like Pac-Man.
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