Research and Workshop setup for making a Contemporary-Folk Performance in collaboration with ‘folk’ artists
Devised from the traditions of Naach, becoming Launda and Nirgun
Based on real life incidents
Authors: Sunaina, Raju Ranjan, Piyush Kashyap & Sipahi Lathor
First version of the play was comissioned by Maraa Media & Arts Collective
2024
Made through collaborative research and process, Lattar is a devised Launda Naach* dance-performance based on real life incidents and anecdotes of ‘folk’ and Launda artists from Bhojpur, Bihar. The play is based around 5 major scenes which present themselves in a mix of songs and storytelling—
In a house he has constructed, a man searches for space to express his sorrow.
Because the show must go on, a Launda Naach artist is forced to continue performing while he receives the news of his spouse’s death.
A person dreams of their lover sending them a love-letter.
A Launda Naach artist recalls having barely escaped dominant caste men trying to sexually harass him.
‘My wife loves me like a Launda’— a Naach artist shares few details from their love life.
*Launda Naach is a folk dance of the Bhojpuri speaking Community of India, Nepal, Mauritius and the Caribbean Islands. It is performed by males who dress as women to become ‘Launda’— a term which can mean: female impersonator, feminine man, queer man, and/or-alternatively a ‘folk’ artist-performer who practices this art-form. The term ‘Naach’ literally means dance, but in folk traditions can mean a mix of dance, drama, theatre, performance and storytelling. [Wikipedia]
Audio Excerpts:
From Scene 2
Because the show must go on, a Launda artist is forced to continue performing while he receives the news of his spouse’s death
Raju told me this story. He wanted this story to be part of the play and its expression of ‘masculinity’. This is the story of a naach artist with whom Sunaina has shared stage, and whom Raju has seen perform many times. We started working with this memory and history, and soon hit the form of reprise: With all that goes in a naach performance (teasing, show of ‘upper’ caste masculinity, firing guns), the crisis resounds again and again; in this we are unsure—
—Is Chilgozra shackled to the stage or committed to naach?
From Scene 4
A Launda artist recalls having barely escaped dominant caste men trying to sexually harass him
The artist whose story this is, narrated and sang their traumatic memories to us, as we met them for ‘research’. More artists among the listeners began recounting their own accounts of harrasment from the dominant caste men. We wrote this scene with elements from two incidents. For this scene, the dancing stops, and the dancer, Sipahi tells a story.
From Scene 5
My wife loves me like a Launda—
While praise and humiliation stand shoulder to shoulder in crowd, there is certain hope when one is accepted and loved as they become many/other on stage, in life— we leave the play with this hopeful turn of embraced-becoming. Inspired by Sipahi’s story, we return to love; to freedom of expression in the many languages of love.
performed by Raju, Sunaina & Sipahi
music by Raju and Sunaina
co-written by Raju and Piyush
facilitated by Raju and Piyush
food and shelter by Puneet