Meghna Bhardwaj

HOPSCOTCH, MOTHER!

How can dance movements be created by moving knitting needles around the yarn? Two performers use their movement to explore different aspects of knitting: the angle between two needles as they loop the yarn, the tension of the thread to balance the loops, the feeling of interweaving, the knitter's attempt to maintain the rhythm. As they draw lines and loops in the space, the performers attempt to listen together and create a physical memory that can be created through the sensation of knitting. This piece is Meghna's ode to her mother's childlike curiosity and imagination brought to life through knitting. During her residency at K3, Meghna Bhardwaj continues to develop her research Yarning, which combines gestures of crocheting and knitting with dance. Using yarn as a metaphor for connectedness, she creates opportunities for gathering, communal intimacy and play.

_{Choreography, Dance: Meghna Bhardwaj | Co-choreography, Dance: Jule Fuchs | Practical Research: Anand Dhanakoti, Eng Kai Er, Jule Fuchs, Larissa Potapov, Nicole Kiersz, Manju Sharma, Meghna Bhardwaj | Sound: Anirbaan Ghosh | Inputs: Mandeep Raikhy}

Meghna Bhardwaj

(Delhi) has developed her dance practice over several residencies- The Esplanade Residency & Dance Nucleus, Singapore; FACETS Attakkalari, Bangalore; Dance Journey Program, Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, Israel; ADF China; Marameo Berlin; Taipedia Dance Festival, Taipei. She has been a repertory dancer at The Danceworx, New Delhi, and has danced in projects by Mandeep Raikhy, and Ahn-Ae-Soon. Her works have been shown at 4BID gallery, Amsterdam; Attakkalari Biennial Bangalore; March Dance Chennai; DRT 2018 Taipei; Dance Bridges Kolkata. She holds a PhD. from School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and has presented her writings in dance studies at various international conferences and journal publications.
At K3, Meghna will develop her ongoing research titled Yarning that links gestures of weaving with dance. She will trace connections between rhythmic and textural qualities of a yarn and moving bodies. The key inquiry is to find ways to weave a space of collective remembrance while simultaneously exploring how to generate occasions of gathering/communitarian intimacy and play.

^{(Status: 2023)}

www.meghnabhardwaj.com