Belgium-based Indian dancer Rakesh Sukesh draws upon a personal encounter of racism, January 22 to 24
Artist’s Indian Summer Festival/PuSh Festival solo because i love the diversity (this micro-attitude, we all have it) was a close collaboration with award-winning Vancouver playwright Marcus Youssef
Rakesh Sukesh in because i love the diversity (this micro-attitude, we all have it). Photo by Irene Occhiato with artwork by Irene Narys
PuSh International Performing Arts Festival presents because i love the diversity (this micro-attitude, we all have it) in collaboration with Indian Summer Festival and The Cultch at Performance Works from January 22 to 24 at 7:30 pm, with a post-show talkback on January 24
BELGIUM-BASED INDIAN dancer-choreographer Rakesh Sukesh finally gets to bring his solo work to the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival this month, after having to cancel his appearance at last year’s edition due to a visa-processing issue.
The creation of because i love the diversity (this micro-attitude, we all have it) came after a stranger filmed Sukesh walking down the street in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. He later found out the footage had been used by a right-wing news channel to campaign against Asian and African immigrants. Sukesh had been in Estonia to lecture at a university.
The deeply powerful piece showing in this Indian Summer Festival copresentation sees Sukesh grapple with the aftermath of his body being used as a viral racist symbol without consent. Employing a series of semi-improvisational trance-like movements, he explores how this experience affects his relationship to the white artists he works with.
Because i love the diversity (this micro-attitude, we all have it) is a close collaboration with award-winning Vancouver playwright Marcus Youssef, who helped Sukesh record and compile the spoken-word stories which are played throughout the piece as a soundtrack.
Sukesh’s dance practice revolves around researching the IntAct-Method, a movement style that combines Kalaripayattu (an Indian martial art dating back to the 11th century), contemporary movement, and yogic philosophy. He is a certified yoga teacher through the Sivananda Vedanta Centre.
As reported by Stir in January 2023, Sukesh applied for a visitor visa months in advance of last year’s PuSh Festival, but his request was not processed by the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) in time. “Canada's immigration policy is blocking opportunities for international exchange and collaboration,” noted the fest in a release, adding that it was confident Sukesh would appear at PuSh in the future.
A year later, Vancouver audiences get to see the creative maven live. Tickets to the show and more details are at here.
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