SDS1 By Ahilan Ratnamohan

Contemporary performance artist Ahilan Ratnamohan brings his unique blend of football and dance to the stage this week. SDS1 is the third in a line of performance pieces created by Ratnamohan that incorporate his football background. “With SDS1 I was curious to see if I could make a piece which wasn’t so story driven, as the first two pieces had a strong story element to them, whereas SDS1 I wanted to make more movement based,” said Ratnamohan.

One of the most exciting elements to this show is the combination of two disciplines that are quiet often segregated. “Growing up, the arts and sport were so separate you couldn’t find two more different things,” said Ratnamohan. With this in mind Ratnamohan is extremely excited and proud to be bridging the gap between these two audiences; “I really like trying to get footballers to see these shows, but getting them through the door is often the hardest part, they’re not your typical contemporary performance audience but I know when they see the show they will be able to relate to all of the movements and find them really interesting,” said Ratnamohan.

SDS1 is not just for football fans though, there is a deeper psychological element also explained Ratnamohan: “You see someone going through a psychological battle which parallels what a footballer goes through during a match. I think the audience can feel the energy and emotion they would at a football match, but everything is just more poetic and surreal.”

Sep 2-5. Blacktown Arts Centre, 78 Flushcombe Rd, Blacktown. $20-25. Tickets & info: performancespace.com.au/SDS1