Gyan Dev singh
Stage Lighting Design
When we were planning our new production - Tales of the Bull and the Tiger - I was very clear that a production of this size and intricacy had to be lit by Gyan Dev.
I have been following his work, and was keen to have his lighting be an essential part of the choreography.
The production, required a grand imaging of stage and lights - Gyan's innate aesthetics, and exquisite eye for detail along with understanding the pulse of the choreographer's vision of the production, added exciting layers to the choreography.
His lighting design, brought in the magnitude of the cosmos, even as it focused on every little image and detail
Gyan invests much time in rehearsals and planning, and understanding the choreography - and the results showed on performance day- with the audience jumping to their feet in prolonged standing ovations !
Gyan has magic on his finger tips !
Now the problem is - How can we have Gyan for every performance that wed do ?
ANANDA SHAKAR JAYANT
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It has been a pleasure working with Gyan Dev. A very talented Light designer he has always been able to enhance the performance with his designing. His creative bent of mind adds value to the stage craft. Wish him success i all his endeavours
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SANTOSH NAIR.
God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
- Genesis 1:3
Then Gyan Dev steps in.
I have watched, or should I say, enjoyed and got enthralled, four dance productions where Gyan was at the helm of lighting design and execution.
Anjaneyam: Hanuman's Ramayana, Agathi: The Plight of Refugees , Anushasanam: The Cosmic Flow of Yoga and Parama Padam - The Life's Game of Snakes & Ladders
These productions, though they were predominantly Bharatanatyam-based (produced by Apsaras Arts, Singapore), were depicting a different theme and mood.
Anjaneyam was all about the narration of Ramayana from Hanuman's perspective. The lighthing had to be majestic, colourful, dazzling - the sea dance, the fire dance and the Ravana's court dance sequences are still etched in my memory, for its seamless integration of light, music, dance and the sets!
Agathi was about bringing out the angst of a refugee - the mood of the lighting had to be sombre, a bit dull and making one feel the sadness of it all. The boat scene in which the dancers churned on high seas was enhanced manifold through innovative use of lights.
Anushasanam was singing the praise of Yoga and had to cater to a large audience of more than 5000 people to showcase combined performances of dancers and the Yoga practitioners. It had the verve and razzmatazz associated with a large event and yet was not obtrusive.
Lastly Parama Padam - which was a solo production based on an abstract theme of equating the common board game of Snakes and Ladders to a soul's journey through life. And here again, Gyan did a fabulous design - especially the depiction of the soul's journey on the 100-square board complete with sliding down snakes and climbing up the ladders. The criss-cross travel across the board and the associated lighting was simply brilliant.
And to top it all, this over-achiever - in good sense, of course 🙂, is so simple to get to know and move about, that you don't even realize that he is a recepient of India's prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award!!
To quote Genesis again, 'And God saw the light, and it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.'
Gyan understads and uses darkness to immense effect to bring the best out of the light! His work seamlessly integrates with the production and enhances the joy of watching multiple times.
I said after Anjaneyam, 'One could hear Gyan's lights speak!'
Truth.
SHRIG LACS
I recently watched a Bharatnatyam dance production called Thari by Malvika Sarukkai ji and her ensemble for which Gyan had done the light design and execution. I can say that his lights gave another dimension to the production and took it to another level. The lighting enhanced the dance without once trying to stand out, which is a hard-to-find quality these days.
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ARUSHI MUDGHAL
I have come across a lot of talented people in this industry but Gyan is exceptional...he is not only an artist who adds great value to a production with his brilliant work but at the same time a wonderful human being, kind hearted and humble. A talented artist who creates magic on stage & a friend for life🤗Big hug and lots of love....
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SANJUKTA SINHA
Among the young imaginative, creative and innovative lights designers, Gyan Dev, a bright young designer has been creating waves working with the leading dance choreographers in their mega productions. He brings to his design a certain imagination which is commensurate with the choreographic designs, enhancing the concept of the choreographers. Today in the present context the senior and young choreographers and dancers have understood the special role light designing plays in their creative works. It has become an important element of dance choreography which has extended the horizons of Indian dance –works.
I had the pleasure of knowing Gyan Dev, as a young son of renowned theatre director and documentary film maker Chani ji from Chandigarh. As an up and coming light designer, Gyan Dev was seeking to express himself in his chosen field, collaborating with young dancers for lighting. His work drew attention of several choreographers and when I saw him working with Apsara Arts Ltd in Singapore, a renowned dance company for their mega production Angkor, I was extremely impressed. To compliment that impression I saw his exquisite lighting in anther mega production Anjaneyam, where he along with set designer, created magic to carry the story of Hanuman in a manner that those images still haunt me. He has an ability to visualize sequences which choreographers explain. To top all this was his latest lighting in celebrated Kathak choreographer Kumudini Lakhia for Meraki.
Like a painter with excellent strokes he lights up the dancers in various colours and hues. The division of space, and building up of moods as per the unfolding of the story with his imaginative lighting lit up the movements of Kathak and costumes.
Always exploring, wanting to reach greater artistic heights, Gyan Dev has won many accolades, among which the prestigious Ustad Bismillaha Khan Yuva Puraskar of Sangeet Natak Akademi stands supreme. With hard work, diligence and more experience Gyan Dev is bound to create his own niche in world of light designing.
Dr Sunil Kothari, Padma Shri, SNA Awardee and Fellow, dance historian and critic
DR SUNIL KOTHARI
Have known Gyan Dev for many years now, possibly more then 20 years, doing workshops in Puppet Theatre in Chandigharh, and then his student days at NSD..
have seen some of the shows he has lit, specially the dance performances, given the possibility and the tec' requirements needed ,he creates magic on stage, and lifts any performance to a new height.
I wish him all the very best in his carrier.
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DAADI PADAMJEE
I am no connoisseur of Dance but witnessing Meraki it gave me an idea of the value that lighting adds to a production on stage. Gyan Dev you were fantastic . The playing of lights to suit the mood of a performance elevated the production to a level of excellence. It requires a sensitivity of aesthetics to be able to " bring to light" the level of excellence that you have brought to the production. Excellence they say cannot be improved upon but after watching your body if work I'm sure you will find a way to raise your bar which is at another level anyway. keep up your great worki!
SHISHIR HATANGADI