Come and be a part of Confluemce ”“ a Festival of India
The biggest festival of India is on in Australia kicking off from August 17 in Sydney right up to the month of November when reputed artists, dancers come down under and display rich cultural traditions of India. It is surely a time to be proud as an Indian down under of our culture and be a part of this Festival. Some free events and other very reasonably ticketed events are here to enthral you. Visit: http://confluencefoi.com/ for more details.
Says the High Commissioner Navdeep Suri who has worked hard for the past one year, “The Festival was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his historic visit to Australia in November 2014. Working closely with India’s Ministry of Culture and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and in association with the Australia’s Department of Communications and the Arts, we have chosen some of the finest elements from the rich tapestry of Indian culture and civilization for our friends in Australia.”
“Over a twelve week period, lovers of culture and entertainment in Adelaide, Alice Springs Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney will have the opportunity to savour an extraordinary range of performances. They will see the virtuosity of Nrityagram and Kalakshetra deemed as among the best dance companies in the world present the classical Odissi and Bharatanatyam dance forms; they will be mesmerized by the life sized puppets by contemporary puppeteer Dadi Pudumjee in Transposition; they will sway to Raghu Dixit’s unique mix of world music; they will soak in the spell-binding words and music of Sonam Kalra’s Sufi Gospel Project; and they will join Bollywood flash mobs and dance workshops at some of Australia’s most iconic locations; and they will want more. And so we will offer a rib-tickling Indian take on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, seasoned with an exhibition of political cartoons by India Today’s Ajit Ninan. He will converse with David Pope, Mark Knight and other Aussie counterparts about the unusual hazards of political humour even as our more serious friends engage with renowned architect Bijoy Jain who will set up the MPavilion in Melbourne. Or reflect on Vibhor Soghani’s installation ”˜Mahatma in Me’, or indeed attend the conference Yoga: Science of Infinite Possibilities which will juxtapose ancient Indian wisdom with the latest medical research.”
He adds, “But can we have a conversation between India and Australia without even a passing reference to bat and ball? I think not! Cricket Connections is a multimedia narration of that unique thread that binds us like no other.”
From the Opera House in Sydney to Federation Square in Melbourne, from QPAC in Brisbane to the Festival Centre in Adelaide, from the Old Parliament in Canberra to the Concert Hall in Perth, the Festival of India will enthrall audiences, foster collaborations between our artists and create cultural bonds like never before. It will also provide a boost to tourism and to the art precincts in these cities. The ambition and scale of the Festival reflects the importance that India and Australia attach to a dynamic and vibrant relationship. The generous financial and other support from the Government of India, from Australia’s Department of Communications and Art and from some of the leading Indian and Australian corporates
Free Event:
Gilles Chuyen will be teaching Bollywood dance steps and movements and indulging with a crowd of people in a Bollywood Flash Mob at the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House on Se3ptember 10 from 4 to 6pm!
Trained in France in Folk, Modern Jazz, Ballet and Contemporary dance styles, Gilles Chuyen has been working in India since 1994 with various dance forms such as Chhau Mayurbhanj, Kathak and Bharatnatyam. He has been teaching Bollywood dance style extensively in India, the U.K and South Africa
15 and 16 September Sept Queen Street Mall Stage Brisbane from 12 ”“ 2pm and 4-6pm respectively 17 September at Forecourt, Canberra Theatre Centre Canberra from 6 ”“ 7pm. All welcome as it is a free event.
Ticketed Events:
Sujata Mohapatra
15 August 2016 Melbourne Recital Hall at 7.30pm
17 august at Sydney Recital Hall at 7.30pm
TICKETS: Standard $49 ($39 Concession)
Student $25
Transaction Fees apply.
India’s favourite Odissi dancer, Sujata Mohapatra, dances to music that sings of love, based on the Gita Govinda love-story of Krishna & Radha
A disciple of the great guru Kelucharan, Sujata Mohapatra is the finest Odissi dancer today. She a national Indian icon for Odissi dance, which is performed to live music.
Odissi (Orissi) is the most ancient and beautiful form of India’s eight classical dance forms, originating from the state of Orissa on the east coast. Its themes are love in various manifestations ”“ secular and divine. The powerful live music is provided by an ensemble based on lyrical poetry, mainly Jaydeva’s Sanskrit poem Geeta Govinda, which celebrates the loves of Krishna and Radha. Its distinguishing features are Tribhangi (three-part break), independent movement of the head, chest and pelvis, and a square posture as seen in Indian temple sculpture.
This dance form went out of favour as the corrupt priests came to abuse the institution of the ”˜Devdasi’ (servant maids of the Gods) dancers and was suppressed by the British Indian government. It was later revived in 1958 during the Nehru regime and has since produced great teachers and dancers. Sujata is one of them.
Sriyah:
Ancient dance in a modern era ”“ exquisite Indian dance from the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, whose vibrant costumes and lively yet fluid movements depict an ornately carved Hindu temple springing into life and colour.
The Nrityagram Dance Ensemble is regarded as one of the foremost dance companies of India. The Ensemble has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, from New York to Hawaii in the US and in Denmark, Holland, Portugal, the Middle-East, Singapore and Japan.
At Nrityagram, India dance is a way of life. The founder, Protima Gauri ”“ an exquisite Odissi dancer herself ”“ converted ten acres of farmland into an ideal setting for the study, practice and teaching of classical dance. Although steeped in and dedicated to ancient practice, Nrityagram dancers are also involved in carrying Indian dance into the twenty-first century. Their dazzling performances are lauded both nationally and internationally.
ODISSI is characterized by sensuousness and lyricism. With movements that reflect the motifs of Orissa temple sculpture, it captures drum rhythms, melodies, as well as the poetic meaning of songs taken from the vast canon of Oriya music. It speaks of love and union between human and divine, transporting viewers to enchanted worlds of magic and spirituality.
Event Schedule:
13 and 14 September at Studio Sydney Opera House at 6.30pm, Price Standard $20 Children under 10 $10. Booking Fees apply.
25 September at The Playhouse Canberra Theatre Centre at 6.30pm
27 and 28 September Studio Underground, Perth at 6.30pm
1 October Cremorne theatre, Queensland Performing Art Centre, Brisbane
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‘Wedding Album’ – a Girish Karnad Play directed by Saba Abdi:
September 3 at NIDA Theatre, Sydney, tickets range between $35 to $100:
Adakar proudly presents a contemporary Indian play in English Wedding Album written by eminent playwright Girish Karnad. One of the most influential Indian playwrights of our times Karnad’s plays have become a byword for imagination, innovation and craftsmanship.
Wedding Album explores a pivotal event in the life of an Indian family, the wedding, through the lens of the aspirations of urban, middle-class India. By subverting a common trope in Indian pop-culture ”“ the impending arranged marriage of a girl to a ”˜suitable’ boy ”“ Karnad showcases the anxieties and long-buried resentments often simmering under the veneer of the clan coming together in a display of solidarity and joy. While the older generation seeped in traditional values sense a loss of control, the younger generation aspiring to easy prosperity and notions of sexual freedom struggle to find meaning in a globalized society.
Wedding Album is a play which is funny, poignant and pushes the boundaries. Directed by award winning producer Saba Zaidi Abdi, Wedding Album showcases the best of the local theatre talent.
Short URL: https://indiandownunder.com.au/?p=7192