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The Attakkalari festival puts the city on the contemporary dance map
While dance is one of the most ancient forms of self expression, the director of the annual Attakkalari festival laments that modern society provides few avenues to explore the rich possibilities of contemporary dance. a�?Dance offers a primeval connect, both within ourselves, and in terms of people, locations and contexts,a�? says Jayachandran Palazhy. Hence, the forthcoming edition of his biennial has a Dance Connect theme. The festival will host artistes from the UK, the Netherlands, France, Spain and South Korea, as well as home-grown talent, at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Ranga Shankara and the Alliance FranA�aise.
Perfect partners
This edition, is receiving recognition from the Karnataka tourism department for the first time. a�?They want to make it a regular feature in the statea��s calendar,a�? shares Palazhy. The biennial will also host a delegation from the European Dancehouse Network. a�?Wea��re the only institution in Asia to be a guest member,a�? says Palazhy, adding that the 10 delegates will be exploring meaningful ways of collaborating in the future.
The opening tonight promises to be spectacular, with Tao dance theatre from China set to perform, guided by choreographer Tao Ye, known for minimalist experimentations, performing in over 30 countries to date. Palazhy also encourages dance enthusiasts to catch Philippe Saire, a choreographer from Switzerland. a�?His piece is set in a boxing ring with the audience looking down onto the stage. There can only be 50-60 people per performance,a�? he says. The finale, by Delhi-based choreographer Mandeep Raikhy explores societya��s perceptions of masculinity.
`100 upwards. Until February 15. Details: attakkalaribiennial.org
a�� Maegan Dobson Sippy
Headed to Hampi
January 9 | Hampi
Celebrate the glory of the Vijayanagara empire at Hampi Utsav 2015. With 2,500 artistes performing from January 9-11, expect puppet shows, kite flying, water sports, dance and musical events. Himesh Reshammiya, Mika Singh and Richa Sharma will be part of the three-day festival. Hampi by Sky, a helicopter ride, is a unique aspect this year.
Details: hampi.in/hampi-utsav-2015
Court action
January 11 | SDAT Stadium
While defending champion Stan Wawrinka looks like a favourite to win the finals of the first tennis tournament of the year a�� Aircel Chennai Open 2015 a�� we would want to pin our hopes on Indian favourites Leander Paes and Saketh Myneni. Dona��t miss the action at the SDAT Stadium. Telecast from 9 am on Ten Sports. Details: aircelchennaiopen.org
Krishna in the spotlight
January 12 | Amethyst
At the Pichwai Painting Exhibition curated by Delhi-based Pooja Singhal, you will find paintings on cloth and paper, illustrating the life of Lord Krishna with bold colours depicting the flora and fauna around him. Organised by Amethyst, from January 12-23. From `10,290 onwards. More on Page 10
Reason to grill
January 14 | T Nagar
Burgers, sandwiches, chicken wings and steaks a�� Black Smith Grill in T Nagar offers plenty of American fare with a selection of hearty salads to begin with. Be sure to try classics like the Fish and Chips, JD Pork Ribs and the Bacon Cheese Burger. Read our review on Page 8
At the movies
January 9 | SPI Cinemas
Directed by Olivier Megaton
(of Transporters 3 fame) and written by Robert Mark Kamen, action thriller Taken 3 has Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace in the lead. The story revolves around an ex-detective Bryan Mills and the murder of his ex-wife. Details: 42244224
Weekend at ITC
January 10 | ITC Grand Chola
Yet another excuse to celebrate the New Year.A� Make the best of ITC Grand Cholaa��s Staycation a�� a host of special stay and food packages till January 11. With a buffet, happy hours (from 6 pm to 8 pm) and 20 per cent discounts on food, soft beverages, salon and spa services, the package is available at ITC One, The Towers and Executive Club. From `6,499 plus tax per night onwards. Details: 22200000
Readera��s digest
January 13 | YMCA
Great news for bookworms. Be prepared to lose yourself among 700 stalls featuring close to five lakh books of various genres (both fiction and non fiction). Organised by The Book Sellers and Publishers Association of South India, the 38th edition of the Chennai Book Fair takes place from January 9-20 at the YMCA College of Physical Education. Entry at `10. Details: 28155238
Market bound
January 15 | Spar International
Spar International has collaborated with Max Hypermarket (Landmark group) to introduce the largest hypermarket (95,000 sq ft) in the city, at Forum Vijaya Mall. In addition to products ranging from fruits and vegetables to water purifiers, they also have a food section, offering biryani, tandoori chicken and more. For more on Spar, turn to Page 13

Headed to Hampi
January 9 | Hampi
Celebrate the glory of the Vijayanagara empire at Hampi Utsav 2015. With 2,500 artistes performing from January 9-11, expect puppet shows, kite flying, water sports, dance and musical events. Himesh Reshammiya, Mika Singh and Richa Sharma will be part of the three-day festival. Hampi by Sky, a helicopter ride, is a unique aspect this year.
Details: hampi.in/hampi-utsav-2015
Court action
January 11 | SDAT Stadium
While defending champion Stan Wawrinka looks like a favourite to win the finals of the first tennis tournament of the year a�� Aircel Chennai Open 2015 a�� we would want to pin our hopes on Indian favourites Leander Paes and Saketh Myneni. Dona��t miss the action at the SDAT Stadium. Telecast from 9 am on Ten Sports. Details: aircelchennaiopen.org
Krishna in the spotlight
January 12 | Amethyst
At the Pichwai Painting Exhibition curated by Delhi-based Pooja Singhal, you will find paintings on cloth and paper, illustrating the life of Lord Krishna with bold colours depicting the flora and fauna around him. Organised by Amethyst, from January 12-23. From `10,290 onwards. More on Page 10
Reason to grill
January 14 | T Nagar
Burgers, sandwiches, chicken wings and steaks a�� Black Smith Grill in T Nagar offers plenty of American fare with a selection of hearty salads to begin with. Be sure to try classics like the Fish and Chips, JD Pork Ribs and the Bacon Cheese Burger. Read our review on Page 8
At the movies
January 9 | SPI Cinemas
Directed by Olivier Megaton
(of Transporters 3 fame) and written by Robert Mark Kamen, action thriller Taken 3 has Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace in the lead. The story revolves around an ex-detective Bryan Mills and the murder of his ex-wife. Details: 42244224
Weekend at ITC
January 10 | ITC Grand Chola
Yet another excuse to celebrate the New Year.A� Make the best of ITC Grand Cholaa��s Staycation a�� a host of special stay and food packages till January 11. With a buffet, happy hours (from 6 pm to 8 pm) and 20 per cent discounts on food, soft beverages, salon and spa services, the package is available at ITC One, The Towers and Executive Club. From `6,499 plus tax per night onwards. Details: 22200000
Readera��s digest
January 13 | YMCA
Great news for bookworms. Be prepared to lose yourself among 700 stalls featuring close to five lakh books of various genres (both fiction and non fiction). Organised by The Book Sellers and Publishers Association of South India, the 38th edition of the Chennai Book Fair takes place from January 9-20 at the YMCA College of Physical Education. Entry at `10. Details: 28155238
Market bound
January 15 | Spar International
Spar International has collaborated with Max Hypermarket (Landmark group) to introduce the largest hypermarket (95,000 sq ft) in the city, at Forum Vijaya Mall. In addition to products ranging from fruits and vegetables to water purifiers, they also have a food section, offering biryani, tandoori chicken and more. For more on Spar, turn to Page 13
band Roxygen team up for a night of Queen, dance and theatre
This Sunday will see an interesting experimenta��a theatrical production with no dialogues, just songs. Bohemian Rhapsody – A Queen Rock Opera, a tribute to the British rock band Queen, is a�?a concert with a lot of theatre and dance thrown in.a�? Says Michael Muthu, of Boardwalkers, a�?Wea��ve taken 30 of Queena��s songs and woven a story around them. There are no dialogues as I didna��t want to touch the lyrics. Instead, we have strung the songs together to tell the story.a�? The only tweaking the director has done is adding a few extra verses to songs like Innuendo and Death on Two Legs to steer the story.
When city-based rock band Roxygena��with singer Timothy Madhukar in the leada��takes the stage, they will be backed by an eight-member chorus, 12 dancers from Jeffrey Vardona��s The Hot Shoe Dance Company and six actors from Boardwalkers. a�?It was challenging because as dancers we choreograph for a full song. But here there is drama, action and reaction, and since the songs are being performed live, there will be small changes, too,a�? admits Vardon, adding that we can look forward to rock, ballet, contemporary and post-modern moves.
With costumes by Vardona��s wife Cassandra, singers trained by voice coach Augustine Paul, multi-level sets designed specially for the show and elaborate lighting, Muthu promises a spectacle. a�?I dona��t want to reveal too much, but the two-hour and10-minute show will include lots of angels, demons and the character of Beelzebub,a�? he says of the event that is being organised by The Rotary Club of Madras South to raise funds for its community service programmes.
At Sir Mutha Venkata Subba Rao Hall. From 7 pm. Rs.500 onwards. Details: eventjini.com
a��SPK