The term ‘variation’ in Western music refers to a theme that is introduced and elaborated upon with alterations evolving from the first statement. In this work, the classical Odissi vocabulary is approached in a similar fashion to how a Western classical music composer would when elaborating on a main theme. Experimenting with footwork, rhythm and tempo, Variations on a Theme is an improvisation of form set within a structure, where music and movement play with and against each other.
Variations on a Theme was part of In Good Company, a da:ns festival commission featuring five leading contemporary dance companies in Singapore with an open invitation to create new works that represent their identity and artistic direction for the near future.