Inside the Pillow Lab: Hari Krishnan/inDANCE

In his Pillow Lab, Hari Krishnan, a choreographer who specializes in Bharatanatyam, queer, and contemporary dance from global perspectives, developed "ROWDIES IN LOVE". The choreographic process used an original movement vocabulary to explore representations of precision and queer intimacy. His residency at the Pillow was a very special one- working with a cohort of 8 brilliant male dancers, he draws inspiration from the rich legacy of Ted Shawn and his Men Dancers but extends this legacy by imbuing it with an out-proud-loud queer affirmation and thoughtful representations of diversity today. Krishnan investigated the clichés of hyper-masculinity, ultimately burning these clichés by fluently shifting gender and contemporaneously shedding archaic cultural stereotypes. About Hari Krishnan/inDANCE Described by dance critic Michael Crabb as a “maverick gadfly who is aggressively iconoclastic (and) a Very Naughty Boy who scoffs at tradition, turns things upside down and shakes out all the cobwebs,” Hari Krishnan is a Connecticut and Toronto based choreographer and educator. A 2024 Guggenheim Fellow, he is the artistic director of inDANCE. Krishnan’s choreography is technically rigorous, subversive, and fused with contemporary sensibilities, boldly confronting socio-political issues stemming from his global lived-life experiences. As an educator, Krishnan is a Professor in the Department of Dance at Wesleyan University. His monograph "Celluloid Classicism: Early Tamil Cinema and the Making of Modern Bharatanatyam", has been hailed as “an invaluable addition to the scholarship on Bharatanatyam.” INSIDE THE PILLOW LAB Hari Krishnan/inDANCE RESIDENCY DATES: February 28-March 10 APPEARING IN FILM: Choreography: Hari Krishnan Performers: Demetris Charalambous, Robert Ciszak, Rocco Duranti, Eury German, Elijah Mack, William Pettigrew, Spenser Stroud and Robbie Weatherington Company Manager: Anna Adams Stark Rehearsal Director: Jennifer Kjos Music Composition: Niraj Chag Producers: Fiona Coffey and Shana Hllman FILMING: Erica Spizz NEL SHELBY PRODUCTIONS Nel Shelby, Producer & Editor Benjamin Richards, Graphic Animation Sonia Bartolomeo, Project Manager "ROWDIES IN LOVE" was developed with the generous support from the New England Foundation for the Arts through a National Dance Project Production Grant, with additional funding support from The Bank of Montreal and The Canada Council for the Arts. THE 2023-2024 PILLOW LAB RECEIVES LEADERSHIP SUPPORT FROM: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation © 2024 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Inc.