It is said that the game of snakes and ladders popularised by the British is a 10th century game originating in India. It was performed by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains to “teach moral values to society”. This game will now transcend into a dance form and come alive for Melburnians with the Indian Performing Arts Convention (IPAC) which kicks off today.
Singapore-based Mohanapriyan Thavarajah, recognised as one of the young male dance artistes of Bharatanatyam in the world, will perform Parama Padam – life’s game of snakes and ladders. Parama Padam was premiered in Singapore in 2019, and since then it has toured to Malaysia (2019), France (2021), Sri Lanka (2022) and India (2022).
Thavarajah will join a “carnival of Carnatic music and a bounty of Bharatanatyam” in Melbourne where acclaimed musicians and dancers from India, Singapore, and Australia will converge together to “inspire, inform and delight”.
“TheIndian Performing Arts Convention is about Indian performing arts for everybody in the eco system. There will be something for students who aspire, for professionals (choreographers, musicians, performing artists or composers) who are practicing, for connoisseurs, and anyone who wants to know more. It has got all these tiers,” says Aravinth Kumarasamy, the artistic director of Singapore-based Apsara Arts, a 45-year old award-winning dance company, which is curating the Convention in Melbourne.
For the past 10 years, Apsara Arts has been presenting IPAC annually to inspire practicing artistes of Indian classical music and dance in Asia Pacific. Last year, it started its Australian edition with Monash University at its helm. Because of the pandemic, it was hybrid combining online and in-person performances and activities.
The convention (22 Sep – 25 Sep) is making a big comeback with master classes, workshops, lecture demonstrations, performances, choreographer and composer labs, exhibitions and symposiums.
Kumarasamy, the man behind the convention, says the highlights are the performances as each is curated. “For instance, Rama Vaidyanathan, one of the most sought-after Bharatanatyam dancers of her generation, will be presenting a new approach to the Margam (path or course followed) by innovations on the traditional repertoire,” he tells The Indian Sun over zoom from Singapore.
Kumarasamy says that everything has been curated with reason and purpose. “We come up with contemporary themes for the show, something fresh for the auidence. We stick to the idiom and vocabulary of music and dance from our traditional genres, but the concepts and themes are brought out in a way that the current generation can relate to, know more and accept.”
A bulk of the work that Apsara Arts does is influenced by South East Asian narratives such as the Cambodian classical dance, Thai and Balinese. It is this shared Natyashastra that bring us together, beleives Kumarasamy. “This is the work we do for which we have a huge following in India too because these concepts and themes are interesting to even people who already know Bharatnatyam. And Melbourne audience will get to see this work as well.”
The fact remains, Indian diaspora all over the world take music and dance quite seriously. Australia is no different. “What is more, youngsters here are serious and talented. That’s why we believe that this convention will make sense for the diaspora here,” says Kumarasamy, who will be travelling here soon.
While singing and dancing are joyous to watch, the arts convention hopes to add value through as it has a line-up of best industry practitioners, who are not typical teachers but performers busy on the international circuit. “So, we hope people in Melbourne will get to learn not just about dance and music but about the craft. These performing artistes don’t typically teach, it’s a once in a while opportunity,” adds Kumarasamy.
He is hoping the IPAC will create the environment where people can inspire their creativity and, in turn, inspire more residency programs with his academy. “In the past, IPAC has been a great equaliser and network connector. This is a professional convention which does not happen quite often in the arts.”
This year Melbourne will have participants from Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Sydney. The convention which takes place between 22-25 September will host most of its programs at Alexander Theatre and The Count’s at Monash Performing Arts Centres (MPAC).
IPAC is a collaboration between MPAC, The Academy of Indian Music Australia (AIM), and Apsaras Arts, Singapore (Apsaras).
For program details, click here.
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