Are you related to the Iyengar Yoga School?” comes a question, laced in an inimitable French accent, that leaves this writer embarrassed. As we admit our failure to be flexible, the Paris-born Xuan Le reveals, “That was the first thing I spotted in your name. I learned Iyengar Yoga when I had just begun to learn dance.” This curiosity about India is an underlying theme to the conversation, too. Presented by the French Institute in India and the Alliance Française Network in collaboration with The Royal Opera House, the choreographer is the city to showcase his production, Reflet that explores the idea of movement and meditation through hip-hop dance, contemporary visuals and rollerblades.

Rolling along

The rollerblades might sound challenging to us, but Xuan Le does not overcomplicate it. “I was a skater before I was a choreographer. I picked up my first pair of blades at the age of five,” he shares. Growing up in Paris, rollerblading on the streets was a pastime. “I won the national championship in 2009, and finished ninth on the world rankings,” he shares.