Under Body, Below Word — A Space
by Somya Kautia and Gia Singh Arora
Delhi based in Mumbai
Project Description
Under Body, Below Word — A Space is an interdisciplinary performance that dissects the politics of language, surveillance, and the moving body — all through the item song Beedi Jalaile.
Expected Impact
Under Body, Below Word challenges dominant cultural narratives around dance, gender, and surveillance in India. In a country where movement is either sacred (classical) or sexualized (Bollywood), this work proposes a third space—where bodies resist categorization, and gestures are reclaimed from spectacle. The piece is deeply interdisciplinary, bringing together performers from hip-hop, somatics, theatre, and contemporary dance. By blending movement, projection, and spoken word, it disrupts expectations of both “high” and “popular” art. Its use of an item song as source material is a conscious provocation—inviting audiences to reexamine their own gaze, and to question how desire and control are constructed. We hope this project contributes to a growing body of Indian performance that pushes beyond binaries—between classical and commercial, aesthetic and political. It offers a template for reinterpreting mainstream culture with criticality, care, and boldness, inspiring artists to build forms that are as hybrid as the realities they reflect. Here is a trailer from our work-in-progress sharing at G5A warehouse as a part of Warehouse Performance Grant : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gqnlSjmarBiECAz_9pqkFvRf6b5_n41S
Applicant Background
Somya and Gia have been collaborating for over four years through their workshop series What is Performance, which explores the relationship between body, text, sound, and objects — with past explorations ranging from Amrita Pritam’s poetry to everyday materials like carpets, balloons, and chairs. Somya brings 10+ years of movement experience across contemporary dance, ballet, capoeira, jazz, contact work, and improvisation. Her ability to break down movement and shift meaning through size, rhythm, or quality has been central to shaping this piece’s physical vocabulary. Gia draws from classical Indian dance (Odissi), somatic practice, and filmmaking, with a focus on dramaturgy, scripting, and visual composition. Her work consistently explores themes of desire, gaze, memory, and surveillance, all of which are key to the conceptual framing of this piece. Together, we’ve developed a shared language of performance-making and teaching that directly informs Under Body, Below Word. You can check out our work here: Somya: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGYB0O_HW8/kH9ZKLr9lVzaFnA0Rh989A/view?utm_content=DAGYB0O_HW8&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=viewer Gia https://giasingharora.com/
Resources Needed
- Funding
- Mentorship
- Visibility
Support This Project
Connect with Somya or learn more about the project or support in making this come to life.