The Community Box brings to you a series of online workshops on indigenous performing art forms, facilitated by traditional artistes from across India.

Conducted under the aegis of the #forartistsandarts initiative from Still Space Theatre, all proceeds from these workshops will help the initiative to continue supporting these artistes, their art forms and communities in these tough times. This series of workshops is presented by Still Space Theatre and The SuperGeoGraphics ensemble theatre - each focused on regionally specific artforms throughout India.

Workshop Details:

14th Aug ‘21: 7-9 PM IST

Baul Music

(Bengal)

Facilitated by Dipannita Acharya

Conducted in English and songs in Bangla

Bauls are the wandering mystic minstrels of undivided Bengal. They gained popularity in the so called society when they mystically sang and danced around, propagating the truth of life.

During the 2 hour session, participating artists will learn:

- About the meaning of the word Baul .

- Brief study about the path.

- About Guru Tattva with the example of the song of any poet. 

- Teaching of that song 

- Transliteration and translation of the song

21st Aug ‘21: 7-9 PM IST

Thaali ki Ramayan

(Uttar Pradesh)

Facilitated by Dinesh Chandra

Conducted in Hindi with live translation by volunteer

Thali Ki Ramayan is a folk singing form in Braj Region of west UP. Singers sing the stories from Ramayan with their own interpretations and engage with Community for brotherhood.

During the 2 hour session, participating artists will

- Get introduced to some of the insights from the art form, & its tradition, and the creative practice of the key artist

- Get introduced to some of the insights from the art form & its tradition

- Interact with activities around some key elements of the art form

- View a performance demonstration by the artist

22nd Aug ‘21: 7-9 PM IST

Lavani

(Maharashtra)

Facilitated by Anil Hankare

Conducted in Marathi with live translation by volunteer

Lavani is a traditional folk genre of music popular in Maharashtra. It dates back to the 17th century and came into prominence during the Peshawa rule. It is known for its powerful rhythm, and more particularly, the adaakaari (refers to striking facial expressions and movements as part of the dance performance).

During the 2 hour session, participating artists will:

- Get introduced to some of the insights from the art form, & its tradition, and the creative practice of the key artist

- Interact with activities around some key elements of the art form

- View a performance demonstration by the artist

27th Aug ‘21: 7-9 PM IST

Behrupiya

(Rajasthan)

Facilitated by Akram Khan Bahurupiya

Conducted in Hindi with live translation to English by volunteer

An ancient art form, the Bahurupiya tradition is traditionally considered to have been initiated by Narada Muni. A performance tradition sustained by families through their dedicated service, the presentation involves adopting a character, and using appearance along with a dramatised conversational storytelling form to enchant and entertain the audiences.

During the 2 hour session, participating artists will:

- Get introduced to some of the insights from the art form, & its tradition, and the creative practice of the key artist

- Interact with activities around some key elements of the art form

- View a performance demonstration by the artist

- Artist’s approach to their creative process

29th Aug ‘21: 7-9 PM IST

Putul Nach

(Bengal)

Facilitated by Prabir Sinha

Folk Puppetry in West Bengal is called Putul Naach : Putul is a word that describes both a doll and a puppet in Bengali while Naach means Dance.

During the 2 hour session, participating artists will:

- Get introduced to some of the insights from the art form, & its tradition, and the creative practice of the key artist

- Get introduced to some of the insights from the art form & its tradition

- Interact with activities around some key elements of the art form

- View a performance demonstration by the artist

There is much we can learn from the wisdom of these traditional artists. Many live in remote regions and have excitedly agreed to overcome challenges of technology, electricity, and language to connect their personal practice to the world. Our volunteers are working closely with each facilitator and will aide the workshop for all necessary language & technology support.

For these sessions, facilitators are paid their artistic fee, supporting the continuation of these unique indigenous forms. Additionally, the workshop fee which you pay or donation you make will continue to support #forartistsandarts ongoing endeavors with essential support for these artists’ communities. 

By centering the artist, we celebrate the necessity of arts in regional culture while tangibly supporting communities hardest hit by Covid.

Donate:

For these sessions, facilitators are paid their artistic fee, supporting the continuation of these unique indigenous forms. Additionally, the workshop fee which you pay or the donation you make will continue to support ongoing endeavours under the #forartistsandarts initiative for providing essential support to these artistes’ communities. 

If you wish to make a donation towards the relief effort, please visit :

https://stillspacetheatre.co.in/forartistsandarts

Contact:

Feel free to reach out to us on +91 99869 94836 or +91 78297 65688 or mail us on stillspacetheatre@gmail.com

Supporting organization for community box:

Still Space Theatre (India), The SuperGeographics, Artkhoj (Event partner), Indigoranges (Creatives), Theatre On Your Own (Accounting Partner)