Sohini Debnath on Adda at Ranan with Rajeswary Gangul Banerjee

Adda at Ranan - 7 June 2015

Sohini Debnath responds to the Adda at Ranan with vocalist, researcher and teacher 
Rajeswary Ganguly Banerjee

Jayati Chakraborty responds to the Adda at Ranan with actress Daminee Basu

At the Adda at Ranan on 3 May, actress Daminee Basu shared a performance which is still an art-in-progress piece on Motherhood, from a bigger project that she wishes to do in the near future - 'Project: Stereotype'. Jayati Chakraborty responds...

What is a stereo type? When does anything become a stereotype? Is this the story of one woman? Or the story of several women? Etc etc..............
So many questions are bubbling in my mind after seeing the performance on 3 may '15 at the Ranan adda by Daminee Basu (Beni). She has recently been working on 'Project Stereotype' where she has chosen to work on motherhood influenced by the pain that she undergoes by the separation from her child. The mixture of soundscape and her silent acting based on some repetitive actions led me to experience a journey of pain, happiness, exhaustion, contradictions.
Looking forward to experience more of these kinds of performance and addas in Ranan.

Dana Roy on two experiences with Gill Robertson and Michael Sherrin

Dana Roy writes on two experiences with Gill Robertson and Michael Sherin - the adda at Ranan on 5 April 2015, and a day she spent at the Think Arts workshop.

Rejuvenation!

On 5^th April, 2015 Ranan was delighted to host an Adda with Gill Robertson and Michael Sherin, both of whom were in Calcutta to conduct the first part of an amazing four week workshop-rehearsal process that Ruchira Das of Think Arts dreamt up and organized. (more on this later)

Gill is this wonderfully energetic, incredibly engaging, red-headed crazy person from Scotland with a loud infectious laugh, who, incidentally, formed the Catherine Wheels Theatre Company in 1999. A company that has made a name for itself creating delicious looking performances such as White and Lifeboat (picture below) for young audiences. We were lucky enough to have Paul Fitzpatrick, from Catherine Wheels show us glimpses of these when he visited Ranan in 2012. What I would give to see one of these productions!

Seeking Support for Ranan's TEN

Ranan turned ten in June 2014.

On 7 and 8 February 2015 at Gyan Manch Calcutta, we step into our next decade with a unique evening of performances – TEN

ten directors (4 Ranan associates and 6 from within the Ranan repertory) respond to the number 10 and create ten short pieces with music, movement, text and design.

An evening responding to one impulse through ten narratives; ten connections woven into one experience that we hope you will be there to share. 

View the promo video

Visit the blog page

Join the Facebook Event

It’s been ten years of creative discovery, delight and disappointment.

Ten years

-       a company taking shape

-       finding and fighting for its beliefs and values

-       forming a dedicated band of people who dream the dreams of Ranan

Ten years

-       creating 14 productions spanning dance, dance-theatre and dance-film

-       offering disciplined and fun-filled Kathak training

-       imagining and developing a diverse group of performers and coalescing into a repertory

Ten years

-       active engagements with old and new audiences and communities

-       artistic collaborations, both Indian and international

-       building relationships to take into the future

Ten years to celebrate …

but also ten years of living precariously on the edge

Ten years

-       struggling to make ends meet

-       trying to achieve a sustainability that we know we deserve

-       imagining a future where we thrive rather than survive

As we mark this milestone, we also hope to enter a new way of being. For this we turn to you with a challenge we have set ourselves: to move away from our dependence on the unpredictable and often hierarchical world of government and corporate funding, and produce this fresh new endeavour with the involvement of people like you (people like us), who believe that the arts have a vital role to play in imagining and creating a world we wish to inhabit.

Any contribution from INR 500/- onwards would be most welcome. All contributions will be acknowledged on our Facebook pages and blog, as well as at the venue of performance. If you would rather remain anonymous, please tell us so. Two complimentary tickets for either of the performances will be reserved for you. Ranan is also tax-exempt under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, and we will be able to provide you with a certificate should you require.

How can you contribute?

-      Sending an INR cheque in the name of RANAN to AA17, Sector I, Salt Lake, Calcutta 700064

-       Bank transfer in INR –

Axis Bank, Account Number: 911010001915884

IFSC Code: UTIB0000721

-       At the special counter at the venue on the performance days – please give us prior information so we can keep your complimentary tickets aside

Please email us at rananindia@gmail.com or call / sms +91-9830015510 to register your contribution.

We sincerely hope that you will respond to this appeal and validate our belief in people power, in the power of the arts, in the power of imagining a different reality.

Over the next year, Ranan plans to initiate a range of creative projects in a variety of contexts and communities –

-       to take our artistic work to the next level

-       to connect with and contribute more to the society we are a part of

-       to move closer to our dream of sustainability

We need and want people to journey with us, to partner us, to support us, to inspire and challenge us. If you would like to know more about these future projects, please let us know. We would be delighted to engage in a conversation and have you on board.

Looking into a future of promise with hope, thanks and determination,

The Ranan Core Team:

Vikram Iyengar

Debashree Bhattacharya

Amlan Chaudhuri

Jayati Chakraborty
Dana Roy

------------------------------

Our heartfelt thanks to those who have already contributed or promised support:

Mandeep Raikhy, Delhi

Sharmila Biswas and Odissi Vision and Movement Centre, Calcutta

Ruchira Das, Calcutta

Bishnupriya Basak, Calcutta

Shuktara Lal, Calcutta

Debu Bhattacharya, Calcutta

Sunayana Roy, Calcutta

Virkein Dhar, Delhi

Nandita Palchoudhuri, Calcutta

Sridar Iyengar, Mumbai

Rhythmosaic, Calcutta

Sipra Mukherjee, Calcutta

Sudeshna Banerjee, Calcutta

Juee Deogaokar, Pune

Sameera Iyengar, Mumbai

Joyee Deb, New York

Vandana Alase Hazra, Calcutta

Partha Banerjee, Calcutta

Bhaskar Sharma, Calcutta

Santanu Mukherjee, Calcutta

Sarmistha Sarker, Calcutta

Lav Kanoi, Delhi

Oindrilla Dutt, Calcutta
Suksham Singh, Calcutta
Usha and Purushottam Bhatia, Mumbai
Rita Banerjee, Calcutta
Arindam Roy, Calcutta
Kunal Roy, Calcutta
Prita Bhattacharya, Calcutta
Alokananda Mukherjee, Calcutta

and our other friends who wish to remain anonymous.