“Creativity takes courage”

I was going to write today about my nostalgic feelings after watching the movie Rocketman as it brought back so many of my childhood memories. This man Elton John, who brought so much of happiness to people's life through his music, was actually suffering and was never loved. It made me very sad and inside me I was sad and was reading every article and information that I could get on Elton John. 

"The function of art is to struggle against obligation" 

There's a period where you suffer through and then a period where you compose yourself and express it so its out of your system and today exactly that's what my plan was, until!!!!

I read a post on my facebook which one of my friend posted it about another Kathakali artist whom I know as well. This friend is an artist besides a tech professional and often goes to India and within Bay Area to perform Kathakali, an art that originates from Kerala. Originates doesn't mean that you own and no one else can learn and master it or be creative with an art.

The post that was shared was from 2016, however this friend shared it now and apparently I know the artist about whom they posted about is from northern India and loves Kathakali form of art and he learned and he performs all over the world. Part of his performance he has achieved lot of name and fame for his performances and he has got lot of rewards and one of them is from the Ministry of India as well.

"Art is not always about pretty things. It's about Who we are, What happened to us, and How our lives are affected" ~ Elizabeth Broun 

When I read it was about this person getting the Ministry award and bunch of Kerala folks criticizing the artist and claiming that he is not doing Kathakali but something else.
I mean a form of art no matter where it originates, but if someone else masters it how can you get jealous? How can you not promote the artist for loving your art and appreciate his effort? Thats basic human instinct! But you being an artist yourself? How can you not support your fellow artists no matter whether you know them or not... they are artist and what I believe is true artist they always support other artists. Because they know the effort that one has to put in and in return they don't get much other than appreciation.

"The job of an artist is to offer a sanctuary of beauty to an ugly world." ~ Jeff Goins

I was really disappointed to see something like this shared in social media. 
Why can't we human be human and not be jealous and selfish? 

Disappointing!

"Never speak from a place of hate, jealousy, anger, or insecurity. Evaluate your words before you let them leave your lips. Sometimes its best to keep quiet."

~ Dawn

Appreciation for cultural diversity is essential for our co-existence !

This weekend I had an opportunity to witness whole world under one roof at Mexican Heritage Plaza at San Jose. Kudos to the creative director, partners and producers who were successful in bringing world culture in one and half hours time, unbelievably astonishing.

"The beauty of the world lies in the diversity of its people"

I loved how every show we begin with a prayer it's part of the culture and here the way it was done was unique where small kids were performing Dindi, the folk dance of Maharashtra and it is a religious ecstasy - meets the purpose of prayer and the folk dance and I felt I was home :).
As I was in emotions when the entry of Congo dancers performing Denadon Africana - a flavor of Africa. Music is one such thing that one doesn't have to know the technicalities of dancing because the music does its work for you and you unconsciously dance to the tune.

I have to applaud the cute little girls performing the opera figures representing China - Ah..mazing! What a perfection in every move. It was beautiful like a bud when its flowering and as it does each petal unfolds into an amazing dance from a different country and how all these petals make a beautiful flower together.

 

There were lot of dances that I had only head about and this was a moment where one can feel the completeness of art and culture coming together. I could feel the power of humans. How powerful we are with our unique culture and that too so colorful and vibrant.

It had the dominance of Indian dances from different parts of India such as Garba, Raas leela, Kaikottikali, Chari, Bhangra, Giddha, Jhumar and I just went to the thought that in school we were told how lucky we are to be in a country where you have all four seasons and so many cultural heritage - indeed!

I am sure this is not only about India, other countries too have their own cultural heritage which we are only getting a glimpse of it. The beautiful dance Coco and Samba no pe from Brazil, Scottish country and highland dancing, Hula, Blooming waterlilies Chinese representation of love for nature, Kalilang from Philippines, Fiesta Tapatia from Mexico,  it was just amazing. How proud we human should be about ourselves. We talk about racism, why should we have any such things we have so many great things besides this creativity in arts and culture that we can make useful to bring solidarity and peace.

"We all smile in the same language" :)

I just loved the jamming session of drummers from Africa, Brazil and India - it was a classic piece!!! I felt it was short, wish the intermission could have been delayed !!! 

Hats off to Sangam Arts in collaboration with Xpressions to bring all these under one roof that too in a collaborative way where Fiesta Tapatia dancers before exiting welcome the bhangra dancers and they exit after dancing few steps of bhangra - it was a pleasure to the eyes and soul.

The more we are international the more we want to see such things where any color any race can participate and represent any culture any country - That was a true multicultural Mosaic of the Valley!

"It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences" ~ Audre Lorde

~ Dawn

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” - Maya Angelou

It was a mesmerizing evening and an emotional one too. Being emotionally connected to dance and music it has always knocked me out by reminding my roots. Probably that was the reason that I got opportunity to support Sangam Arts, which believes in Arts and Music that will bring every human close and be in harmony.

I had an idea about Mosaic America, more over working closely with Usha Srinivasan the founder and president of Sangam Arts, I know her dream is to bring multicultural arts together on one platform. But to watch the performance really gave me goose bumps. I felt it's so beautiful that no matter which part of the world you come from, music is alway soothing and it brings out your emotions very well no matter what language you speak, what kind of food you eat or for that matter what color your skin is. 

For the first time I felt human civilization is so rich in arts and music and if we use this for our benefit this world would be a better place. I feel more proud to be connected with Sangam Arts for this one reason that it's not only about dance forms and music but it is also about people, culture and oneness.

To feel what I am talking about one must watch these performances that Sangam Arts brings to the valley. Its not only a dance and its performance, its about the costumes, its about the cultural impact that these artists bring live into performance when they all are local here. It brings joy when you see a kid who is growing up here, going to American school and yet when she performs Bharatnatyam she understands the expressions and then she brings it in her performance - I felt thats commendable for a kid to grow here and still bring that impact of Indianness while performing Bharatnatyam and if I say this was the same for other performers as well. The Flamenco team made me feel like dress up like that and do some dancing if not a complete one at least the tap on the floor with those shoes that they were wearing. Even before my desire go further, I see Chinese Dancers, such cute girls with their gymnastic moves and dancing with their props umbrella - made me feel like dolls dancing around. I was mesmerized by the Contemporary Dance where the costume were so good and flowy that it did bring that empathy feel and for a moment I was lost. 

There were many moments when I wanted to take pictures and I didn't want to. Because I was getting lost in there somewhere ...in the dance, thinking of those countries, people and the places out there and then my eyes filled up with emotions - what are we all here expecting? Only love and peace then why its so important to know what color, cast or creed we belong to?
Not to mention Folklorico, Bharatnatyam, the musicians on Sitar, Haitian Drum, Pipa, Oud, Mridangam and Dandiyaraas...! It was a meet and greet of culture, music and arts - all on one platform bringing people together across the globe.
Does it matter what we do or how we do as long as it brings a smile in everyone of us? I felt for the first time as human we can do so much with the talent around and be proud of what we can do than whatever is currently happening around the world.

If you believe in peace and harmony and if you believe culture, arts and music is what brings us together then you must support the vision of Sangam Arts. Please do like this page and supports us.
Lets be the example and lets make this contagious around the world.

"I think.. if it is true that there are as many minds as there are heads, then there are as many kinds of love as there are hearts."

~ Dawn

A captivating evening with Antara Asthaayi - Tale of a Kathaka

What an enthralling evening it was, I am yet to get over with it. Antara Asthaayi - Tale of a Kathaka, the journey of this Kathaka to the world was an amazing story telling event by Antara Bhardwaj.
I mean every art is a way of telling us a story in one or the other form and this one through Kathak was one of a kind.
I have watched Pt. Birju Maharaj performing at the age of 75 and then Antonia Minnecola (Mrs Ustaad Zakir Hussain), what a graceful performance and after that I never felt so mesmerized until this evening.

Antara Bhardwaj, the fastest feet dancer in the world, around 12 slaps per second performer rocked the stage by engaging the audience with her story as an immigrant to a country where she could dream to be a kathak dancer that too watching old Hindi movies such as Guide, Pakeeza and many more. 
Most of the time you will see in mehafils, the kathak dancer will play in tukra (short dance composition) and toda (long dance composition), and tell the story and here what I loved about Antara is that as she was explaining about the story she was performing in tihais (footwork). She also did few tukra for Sader to play on his tabla - that was unseen where the tabla player is playing on the bols and tukras of kathak dancer.

I agree when people say learn the basic schooling which is so important as lot of logics that we use in our day to day life is based on that elementary to high-school level of subjects and Math being one of them. Antara explained very well how the rhythmic play with its time cycle be calculated by splitting it into triplets or quintuplets marked on the footwork so that it counterpoint to the rhythm of the percussion.

All this was summarized in a sequential and a very well choreographed performance along with internationally renowned musicians from India and US. Salar Nader on tabla, whom I have been watching since long time when he performed at SF Jazz and there on in many such events and its amazing to see his creativity as I follow him on twitter too. One must learn from them to understand the basic so that everyone can have their little creation on the bols (dha, ge, na 'ti' 'na' 'ka' 'dhi na').
Pankaj Mishra on Sarangi, Ben Kunin on Sarod, Rajib Karmakar on Sitar - we were told it was his first performance on the stage - but frankly speaking his performance didn't say that as he rocked the solo and the jugalbandi like a pro.

When Deewani Mastani started with 'mastani' song from Bajirao Mastani film, it gave a feeling of reawakened may be because I am bias towards Hindi-Urdu poetry but I knew my evening is going to rock. The beauty of this piece was the fusion of Kathak with Khepri (Belly Dance) very beautifully choreographed by Antara herself and Andrea Sendek - both had the sensuality and passion that this deewani needed.

Thaat, actually we all have it within our selves and we do use at times whether to show love, mischief, or even when you are upset with something. The expression with your face, eyes, neck and all this was done by Antara which reminded me of Ustaad Zakir Hussain's residency class that takes place in SF Jazz center every year - an amazing one.

Every time I go for a Kathak I learn something new and the eagerness of what this dancer will relate to is the curious part which Antara here was able to fulfill with the journey of steam engine and I being grown up with that time really helped to relate it and such a beautiful and graceful depiction of that with her footwork. I wished it could be replayed again and again :).

The jugalbandi by musicians I have always loved since my childhood and I remember how my feet and my hand used to play with that rhythm, it took me back then when I used to watch these with my dad. Pankaj Mishra and Ben Kunin's communication through Sarangi and Sarod along with the solo Sitar by Rajib Karmakar was captivating.

There was Gat Bhao where the dancer tells a story as well as she will play all the characters of that story and a small piece of incident which I have read in my school days about the naughtiness of Krishna, Radha and the Gopis. Beautifully performed and best was that each performance had its own costumes. Antara did spend time in changing costumes based on the dance she was performing and it was an epic selection of all - kudos to Alka Garg. The funny part was when she said she always loved the Radha but not the Krishna's Radha, instead the Radha characters which Subhash Ghai's movies have, I tell you what an influence of Hindi films and this kind of influence is not bad at all.

The Hindol Tarana is something I have heard and watched the dancers performing but it was not known to me that there is no meaning in here other than the dancer portrays the beauty, delicacy, and technique along with the rhythm. I think I enjoyed it more when I understood the meaning of tarana here.

There wasn't a moment where audience was not kept engaged, as Salar Nader took everyone on his journey from Kabul express to Mumbai express while the bullet train from Japan came over. Tabla has always made my feet restless and unknowingly I would play the beat and his tali and khali was reminding me of Ustaad Zakir Hussian sahab. 

It was not over yet when Chilman (veil) happened, this was the last piece of the evening. Urdu has been my weakness and chilman is something which expresses the beauty of a woman thats what I believe. This dance was a creation of Antara and it really did surprise me when Antara started the dance with Javed Akhtar's (my favorite poet), lyrics and ended with Hazrat Amir Khusro on chaap tilak... I swear to anything I was thrilled and mesmerized with this creativity. 

Antara has gained many fans I am sure and I have become one this evening for being such a graceful performer with the professionalism which she carried through out that audience could only applause until the end. It was an amazing performance package and I am looking forward to her next one The Conference of the Birds - I am sure its going to create history right here in this silicon valley and its dance and music direction is done by none other than Antara Bhardwaj. Its with thirty dancers and fifteen actors representing twelve cultures from four continents - its going to be a heaven with mystical sufi allegory.... the wait is worth!!!!

I am so happy to be part of Sangam Arts and along with Sangam Enacte bringing these events for audiences like us in bay area - its a true blessing. The evening dosage was such that I am still high :)

~ Dawn