– CHICAGO
He started out to be a political scientist who came to India for his M.Phil. degree specializing on the Indian Ocean and went on to earn a Ph.D. and write a book titled “Who is a Brahmin? The Politics of Identity in India.”
But Franco-Indian scholar Gilles Chuyen soon discovered his true calling – dance. And not just any dance: The multitalented performer, who had studied ballet and jazz in his native France, took to Chaau, the folk dance of Orissa.
Chuyen has lived in Delhi for the past 17 years, and speaks flawless Hindi. He choreographs and performs innovative experimental productions drawing upon the techniques of Indian classical and folk dances and the extravaganza of Bollywood.
In July, he was in Chicago as part of the Eye on India Festival, and conducted Bollywood dance workshops at three venues. He spoke with Desi Talk about his passion for dance and his ongoing love affair with India. Excerpts:
When did you become interested in dance?
My mother told me that I knew how to dance before learning how to walk. I used to choreograph shows with my cousins as early as I can remember.
I started training at the age of 9 with folk dance from South of France, then modern jazz at 12, ballet at 15, and contemporary dance started much later, around 22, two years before leaving for India.
How did you become interested in India?
At the end of my first year at the Institute of Political Studies of Aix-en-Provence (France), I wanted to specialize in international relations, for which I needed to learn two foreign languages.
I already knew English and German, but wanted something more exciting. Several encounters led me to Hindi – references by my teachers to India as one of the giants of tomorrow; a dearth of French specialists in this area; an amazing professor at the Faculty of Arts who completely seduced me with comparative linguistics; as I had studied Latin and Greek in school, Sanskrit references felt magical; my interest in religions, etc. My first trip in 1992 to Delhi was a revelation.
When did you first arrive in India and what were your initial impressions?
I started living in Delhi in 1994. I worked at the French Embassy during the day (national service) followed by Chhau Mayurbhanj classes in the evening at the Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, under Shashidharan Nair, the beginning of a love story. I had studied Bharata Natyam and Kuchipudi for a year in France before coming, but a friend advised me to try Chhau – that I tried and loved in Delhi.
Why did you make the decision to remain quasi-permanently in India?
Years passed and the love became deeper. After my national service, I enjoyed four years of scholarship through the French Ministry of External Affairs. Then the shift from academia to professional performing artist, after 2000.
What are the various Indian dance traditions that you’ve made your own?
Mainly collaboration with Chhau (from Orissa), Kathak and Bharata Natyam dancers in India, and Bollywood choreography for stage production across the world.
How did you become interested in the relationship between dance and health?
I guess it started in 2000, as my artistic and spiritual paths began to converge. Mainly blessed by the guidance of the Art of Living and the Karmic Research Centre, I started developing workshops of dance meditation, which had amazing results, with both children and adults, for stress release, for emotional unburdening, and a great sense of freedom and enhanced creativity.
What do you think are the fundamental differences between Western and Indian dance?
Western and Indian classical forms are actually similar if you look at their intent, i.e., reaching God: In the sky for Western dance, therefore the ballet technique reaches upward, the pointed shoes, white color as symbol of purity; in the sacred Earth for India, hence a strong connection to the floor in Indian classical dance forms, stomping with bare feet, rich colors of the Devi. But yes, of course, Western dance is more the connection of body and mind, whereas Indian dances are more of heart and soul. In contemporary work, if I have to highlight one point, it would be the radically opposite relationship to death. Black, depressing, the end in the West; a passage toward light in India.
Do you see yourself as an ambassador of Indian culture?
My work as an ambassador of Indian culture has been through my international Bollywood productions and workshops, which are vehicles of color, joy and celebration.
What has changed most significantly in your relationship with India over the last 17 years?
For me, India has been a platform for self-discovery, removing masks, connecting to the core of myself, understanding my mission as a human being, to share and radiate love through my art. India is a lesson in generosity, in understanding that opposites are complementary, a daily workshop to learn flexibility, forgiveness, compassion.
