The 3rd edition of DakshinaChitra’s annual music, dance and theatre symposium - Utsavam 2018, is here.

The program this year has been curated with the intention of discussing the various aspects that connect rural and urban culture of performance art through talks, lecture demonstrations, panel discussions, performances and conversations. The intention of this line-up is to explore the critical factors that give these forms life, to understand the centre of their creativity and their artistic influences and connections to other forms of folk and/or classical art.

On this occasion, DakshinaChitra will also launch the book, “Mannin Marabu”, The Tamil landscape – Culture and Traditions. The book has been sponsored by Rane Foundation and the Ministry of Culture.

The symposium will feature interactive sessions with experts in each field. These will be juxtaposed by depictive dance and music performances, by some of the finest exponents of each form. The day will begin with a Nadaswaram performance by S. Anandan and will be followed by a critical conversation with the surviving craftsmen who hand make these melodious instruments. The session will revolve address their current position in society, their legacy and the deep-rooted causes that are threating their future. This will be followed by a session that will delve into the history, context and form of the Oduvar tradition by Guru Nagantha Desikar. The last session of the morning addressed by Muthukumaraswamy, will talk about why Folklore thrives in urban spaces and the right the form has in a city landscape with regards to heritage conservation. Post a lunch break sponsored by Oriental Cuisines, the world renowned Vikku Vinayakaram and party will present in a lecture demonstration format, the various beats and rhythms that unite the classical and folk. The panel discussion will address various issues on the status of the folk arts, the environmental context of performance with regards to audiences and will importantly address the deep creative bridge that connects various forms of art, geographically, socially and politically.

The day will end with a grand procession followed by a performance of a segment of the story of “Abhimanyu” by the young performers of Kattaikkuthu from Kanchipuram.

The program will be held at different spaces within DakshinaChitra, whose traditional South Indian architectural aesthetic will heighten the Utsavam experience. At the end of the day, participants can expect to understand and appreciate the different threads that weave together the rich culture of the region and their unifying and enduring character.

Donor passes include lunch and refreshments.