INTERFACE is Eastern India’s first international dance biennial which started in 2002 to mark the 10th anniversary of Sapphire Creations which I founded in 1992 to consolidate and stir a network of practitioners of an alternative idiom or methodology of contemporary dance practices. The 90s saw the ignition of many such energies in Bengal in music and dance who wanted to break barriers through their art and Sapphire was one. INTERFACE became a forum in 2002 which was significant for Kolkata as performing anything outside the genre of the established form of modern dance bereft of the aegis of  ‘Tagore dance’ or ‘Uday Shankar Style’ was considered sinful. So INTERFACE set a new parameter for many who started using this as a trigger to transgress beyond given ideas, form and get a chance to  see the change and find a voice identifying peers & parity among fellow practitioners from all over the world. The sharing in the festival enhanced not just the conviction of upcoming young dancers but also gave a lens to the changing scenario of Contemporary dance in Asia in particular over the last two decades making it an important reference point for future experimentations, initiatives & interventions in the field.

The festival had its share of resistances from various spheres but was privileged to have some of the icons of Contemporary dance in India performing in multiple cities in this forum, thereby creating a network and a  community with global dancers in consolidation of the spirit of Contemporary dance where Sapphire sustained all today to celebrate its 30th anniversary with the 9th edition of INTERFACE. In the post pandemic, with the theme of RECONNECTION , we connect with artists  , patrons , supporters, allies and media who have been part of the journey for both Sapphire and INTERFACE!