In a city hailed as the Mecca of classical music and dance, but where the contemporary is still seeking venues for self-expression, The Park’s New Festival is a much-appreciated platform for multidisciplinary creativity of the moment. Curated by Ranvir Shah of Prakriti Foundation, the Festival is now into its sixth edition — and third year as a multi-city festival beyond Chennai — and looks at different forms of artistry including contemporary dance, music, puppetry, even stand-up comedy.
Shah, who is the artistic director of the New Festival, had previously co-curated The Other Festival for nine years. Explaining his impetus for a new iteration of an arts festival, he says: “I felt the time had come for us in India to look at ourselves, through the prism of the self and not that of the other. How we could engage with this new global/local India was an exciting idea for me to review and curate. I like to keep my curatorial narrative as being still engaged with the New India, through artists who are either based in India, or inspired and plugged into the source of India’s performing arts.”
Lasting typically between three to six days, the duration may be short and sweet but the programming aims to be experimental and provocative. Headlining this year’s performance is the Akram Khan Dance Company, who will present Gnosis. Khan searches within his twin classical and contemporary roots to present a piece about the human struggle, inspired by the story of Gandhari from the Mahabharata.
Other acts include music by the troupe of clarinettist and composer Shankar Tucker; theatre performance by Sri Lankan-American D’Lo; a retelling of Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana by The Industrial Theatre Co. and the play Chinese Coffee by the Hosruba Repertory.
Shah appreciates that by becoming a point of focus — albeit temporary — the Festival’s remit should include engaging with the city’s cultural heart in multiple ways. He says, “In the last three years, we have started extending the festival by having the performers interact with the artistic community as well as do workshops.”
Specifically this year, “D’lo, the queer activist performer, will share his stories with LGBT groups; Akram Khan will be in discussion and do lec-dems; and cultural entrepreneur Farooq Chaudhry will lead small workshops.”
So, what’s next? The future of the Festival, quips Shah, all in jest and completely in earnest, will be like the Olympics, bigger and better.
Bottomline: A platform for multidisciplinary creativity
The Park’s New Festival 2012
Where: Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi
When: August 29 to September 17.
More details: www.prakritifoundation.com/
