Biography
Born in London, England, of an Armenian mother and an Indian father. When he was 8 years old, his family moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. This newfound culture collided with the two others and this started his quest for his identity, the source of his work as an artist.
Roger Sinha, artistic director, choreographer and dancer founded Sinha Dance in 1991. The histories of Sinha Danse and its creator are linked together. His choreographic journey began with Burning Skin (1992). The warm reception of the piece permitted numerous collaborations and creations. In 1996, Roger Sinha was awarded the Bonnie Bird Choreography Fund to create a work for the Transitions Dance Company at the Laban Centre in London.
Also in 1996, Benches was created upon request of the Winnipeg Contemporary Dancers. The piece was inspired by Albert Albee's Zoo Story. A new version was recently presented in 2007. Loha/Thok were presented together at L'Agora de la Danse in 2002. Thok was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore award in 2005. Loha was created with Canadian choreographer/ dancer Natasha Bakht. Their most recent collaboration is the duet Thread, created in 2007.The sextet Apricot Trees Exist, created in 2004, was programmed at L'Agora de la Danse and toured the following year, in the greater Montreal area, several cities in the province of Quebec and in Toronto.
Roger Sinha recently developed an interest in video art and new technologies. The solo Zeros & Ones (2008) clearly expresses this passion with the use of film and interactive technology. In 2009, Zeros & Ones, Quebasian Rhapsody and Burning Skin toured 5 cities in India : Bangalore, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Kolkata and Sattal. As a filmmaker, he created two pieces. His first film, The Barber of Bangalore was shot entirely in India and has been presented in numerous festivals throughout the world. His second dance video Haters 'n Baiters: The Culture Collision, won the popular vote for the Radio Canada International Roots competition in April 2010.
Besides creating for Sinha Danse he co-choreographed the piece Tono, with Sandra Laronde. This work by the Toronto based company Red Sky has been presented in both the summer Olympics in Beijing and the winter Olympics in Vancouver and was invited to perform at the Canadian Pavilion in Shanghai in May 2010.
With his last creation, A Matter of Life & Breath (2011), Roger Sinha continues his exploration with interactive technologies by giving the six dancers the capacity to trigger images and sounds.
Sinha creates once again a hybrid universe, somewhere between his Indian heritage and a definitive contemporary body language.
