Filed under: News
By Tony Halpin (Moscow) and Gayane Abrahamyan (Yerevan)
(from http://www.timesonline.co.uk)
The modern dance performance was billed as a frank expression of friendship between Britain and Armenia, the former Soviet republic.
Instead, Nigel Charnock’s solo show provoked diplomatic outrage after he was accused by the Armenian Culture Minister of desecrating the national flag.
Charnock, a noted dancer, has been called a “national treasure” by British critics and praised for his “eerie brilliance” and “profligate talent” by The Times. The British Council had described Frank, Charnock’s one-hour improvised performance, as “a stand-up, sit-down, leap-around live show that picks you up, calls you names and lets you in on some home truths”.
But the name-calling was largely done by Hasmik Poghosyan, the Culture Minister, after Charnock, on his first vist to the country, had placed Armenian and British flags on the stage and danced on them before an audience at the Stanislavsky State Theatre, in Yerevan, on Wednesday.
Mrs Poghoysan, 46, who was not at the performance, ordered a second show to be cancelled and accused Charnock of committing a criminal offence punishable by up to a year in prison. She declared: “It is unacceptable for us that someone who is considered a national treasure in Britain would bring such low-quality art to Armenia.
“We honour the high art of British theatre and are sure that from the Queen to ordinary Britons the greatest pride and treasure is Shakespeare. It appears that the English perception of treasures has been drastically devalued and Nigel Charnock is its best evidence.”
Mrs Poghosyan said that she was not censoring artistic expression but acting to prevent disrespectful treatment of Armenia’s flag.
“Charnock may treat the British flag as he likes. He can drop it on the floor, step on it, chew it or swallow it, but it is unacceptable and punishable by law to treat the Armenian flag that way,” she said.
At a press conference called swiftly by the British Council, a chastened Charnock, 45, offered his “unconditional apologies”. He told reporters: “All I’m trying to do is communicate love.”
The Culture Ministry lifted the ban, provided that Charnock promised not to repeat the offence, but by then it was too late to reschedule the performance and the dancer flew home yesterday.
Lucine Ghulyan, arts manager at the British Council in Yerevan, told The Times: “He was trying to show friendship between Armenia and Britain. There was a total misunderstanding of his intentions.
“He was showing his affection for Armenia, but when I called the deputy minister to explain this she didn’t want to listen to me. She kept saying that she was offended as a citizen of Armenia to see the flag on the floor.”
Ms Ghulyan acknowledged that some in the audience had been offended by sexually suggestive movements during the performance. Charnock had wrapped a Union Jack around his loins and then draped the Armenian tricolor over his naked torso.
But Ms Ghulyan said that most had understood the show and many gave him a standing ovation at the end.
Charnock, 45, has performed Frank around Europe since 2003, when it was commissioned for the Venice Biennale. He co-founded the DV8 Physical Theatre before establishing his own dance company in 1996.
Filed under: News
The Centre for the Study of Culture and Society (CSCS) offers a fellowship awarded by SEPHIS to a student from any country in the South to spend one academic year in Bangalore, India, beginning July 2007.
The main purpose of the fellowship programme is to help develop alternative frameworks for research and teaching as well as new theoretical paradigms that take into account the specific experiences of non-Western societies.
The student can either register with CSCS for the Ph.D. in Cultural Studies (validated by the Manipal University, Kuvempu University and Bangalore University) or register in his/her own country and do the CSCS coursework for two semesters.
The Ph.D. programme’s uniqueness lies in the following:
- Focus on inter-disciplinarity.
- Research areas at CSCS include: Culture and Colonial Histories; Law, Society, Culture; The Asian Popular; and Gender and New Pedagogies.
- Emphasis on the formulation of research problems and teaching programmes in relation to democracy and cultural issues that draw on conventional disciplines but cut across their boundaries.
Eligibility: A Master’s Degree in any discipline with 55% marks or its grade equivalent if the student is registering with CSCS for the Ph.D., OR proof of Ph.D. registration in any Southern university if the student is coming only for coursework.
Benefits: A substantial stipend, international airfare, accommodation in Bangalore, travel costs for three weeks within India for visits to different academic institutions, tuition and other fees will be provided for. If the student registers for a PhD at CSCS, financial support available after the first year will be at par with that of other CSCS students.
Current CSCS faculty are drawn from the fields of film and media studies, political theory, history, and art history, gender studies, and legal theory with a strong background in at least ten years of inter-disciplinary cultural studies. Applicants are requested to visit the CSCS websites for more information of the institution, its faculty, courses, library, etc: http://www.cscsban.org; www.cscsarchive.org
To apply:
Applications should include a sample of writing such as a term paper, a current CV, two letters of recommendation, transcripts of last two degrees obtained, and proof of eligibility. Write to Dr.Tejaswini Niranjana, Convenor, Ph.D. Committee, CSCS, 466, 9th Cross, First Block, Jayanagar, Bangalore 560011, India.
Email: teju@cscsban.org; Telephone: 91-80-6562986; Fax: 91-80-6562991.
Deadline:
Complete applications must reach CSCS by March 21, 2007. E-mail and fax applications are acceptable only if followed by a hard copy sent by airmail or courier. Candidates will be informed of the outcome by March 31, 2007. The CSCS academic year begins in the last week of July.
Zainab Bawa
Bombay
www.xanga.com/CityBytes
http://crimsonfeet.recut.org/rubrique53.html
