Artistic performance

A word on artistic productions.  I would like to introduce you to a fabulous trio of musicians that we saw on New Year's Day in Pondicherry. This was Nadaka & Gopika of Shantakaram who were joined by Ganesh Basavaraj on Tabla. The musical show was a type of fusion of Eastern and Western music. If you go to their web site you will see and hear sample music videos.

The musicians sat cross-legged and in good posture throughout the entire exposition lasting about 1.5 hours. As audience members, we tried to do so too, on a soft mat below the the musicians, but our aching muscles called for some shifting of the body. I've since tried the position for mandolin playing and it works very well for aging eyes, but it requires more bending, stretching, and gritting (yes - grit thy teeth and bear). OK -will do.

Just outside Pondicherry near Auraville we also went to see a rehearsal of Rhinocerus, performed by Adishakti Laboratory for Theatre Arts Research, to which we were very kindly invited by the Artistic Director and Managing Trustee, Veenapani Chawla. On Adishakti's web site you will find video glimpses and interviews of fascinating performance work that draws on historical Indian martial art practices, song, dance and ritual, but links these past accomplishments and art forms to the present project of theatre and the imagination. Adishakti has over several years developed an artistic retreat and commune. Its troupe of performance artists mount productions on site, but on invitation they also travel to performance venues in India and abroad, with a minimum of props and fuss. For those of you thinking about it - they have not yet been to North America.

Just before leaving Pondicherry on January 6, we went to the University of Pondicherry to meet Sugantha Lakshmi, who is working on her PhD at the Department of Performing Arts. This was part of my ICWP job, to help forge international partnerships. We decided to make a video (easier than a report when on the road) and it is now uploaded on the ICWP site. Can you imagine? It was about 30 degrees centigrade that day, and the campus was exquisite, with a number of women gardeners in saris, buzzing about with garden water cans and trowels.