ATTAKKALARI , Rashtrapathy Bhavan Oct 08

Attakkalari - On invitation by ICCR for the IBSA Summit 2008

OCTOBER 15TH 2008, Rashtrapathy Bhavan
OCTOBER 14TH 2008: KAMANI AUDITORIUM, NEW DELHI

Attakkalari was specially invited by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations,New Delhi, to participate in a cultural exchange between India, Brazil and South Africa in New Delhi ( Oct 10th - 15th 2008 ).The culmination of this interaction was a combined performance ( 20 mns ) between the three countries at the prestigious Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi, along with an Attakalari performance at Kamani ( 40 mns ) and a special performance by Attakkalari at the Rashtrapathy Bhavan ( 15th Oct) for the Presidents of India, Brazil and South Africa.

This awe-inspiring piece began with strong percussion and was followed by a section tracing the ancient origins of Kalaripayattu, the martial art form from Kerala.It transformed into a primordial story incorporating the essence of animal moves derived from Kalaripayattu.

Kalarippayattu is considered to be the predecessor of several Asian martial arts such as Kung Fu, Wu Shu and Karate. The distilled essence of primordial animal movements is combined with intricate notions of space found in traditional Indian iconography and architecture. This section was accompanied by the strong rhythms of traditional percussion instruments – mizhavu, djembe, mridangam, chenda, edakka and the shankha played live by well known, highly respected musicians.

The piece then integrated inspirations from various disciplines such as Bharatanatyam, Contemporary Dance, Kathak and even the Brazilan martial dance, capoeira, encompassing 30-45 mns of sheer physical prowess and fine technique, to end with a vigorous Kalaripayattu sequence with the long sticks, and throbbing percussion.

Duration : 30-45 mns
Performed by : Dil Sagar, Rakesh MP, Hemabharathy, Santosh,Sumesh,Denny, Ajeesh, Diya Naidu, Jyotsna, Ramya KN, Rohini Rau, CP Prasad, CV Sukumaran.
Technicals : TransMedia Technologies /Wilson/Bir Bahadur
Light Design : Pritham Kumar
Sound: Shymon Chelad
Percussion : Sri N Sankarnarayan,Hariharan, V Ashok, SV Balakrishna
Programme Manager:Aliyeh Rizvi


THE DAILY STAR REVIEW
Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Thursday, October 30, 2008 02:10 PM GMT+06:00


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Published On: 2008-10-28
Arts & Entertainment
Food and fun in Delhi
Kavita Charanji, New Delhi

Brazilian musicians perform at the programme.
Culture and cuisine came together in a delightful mélange just the other day. Regaling a captivated audience were chefs from South Africa, Brazil and India Just a sample: Kalaripayattu (Kerala) dancers who fused martial dance, strikes, kicks, grapples. In one piece two dancers, armed with swords and shields took centre stage in a mock combat. The venue was the foyer of the Ashok Hotel, New Delhi and the organiser was the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

The scene soon shifted to the Durbar restaurant. Here a group of Brazilian musicians with instruments such as drums, saxophones and trombones delighted people who were attending the select dinner...

After the music, followed some superb food from the three countries, designed to tickle the taste buds. As part of the wonderful Indian, Brazil and South African (IBSA) festival, chefs of the latter two nations were flown in to the menu. The trio comprised, award winning Brazilian chef Mara Alcamim, Owen Jullies, director of the South African Chefs' Association and MS Gupta, corporate chef of the Indian Tourist Development Corporation (ITDC).... And on to the next day when Brazil and South African dancers showed off their fascinating dances, Brazil also featured an orchestra. The first Frevo dance and orchestra performance from Brazil was eye opening. Frevo describes a range of musical styles originating from Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil which are traditionally associated with the Brazilian carnival.

After this followed a Frevo dance which requires much rehearsals, strength, endurance and flexibility. Says a note at the programme, “The fight between the groups moved from the physical to the aesthetical.”

Now to South Africa: well known for their grace, enthralling, uninhibited dance. The troupe captured indigenous cultures and modern contemporary genres.

The last show was equally amazing. The Indian core repertory from the Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, Bangalore (South India) was adroit in martial arts, yoga, body conditioning, classical and contemporary dance techniques, coupled with creative dance, choreography and dance. What was interesting was the background of the dancers: Bharatnatyam, Kuchupidi, ballet, contemporary dance, jazz, Kathak and Kalaripayattu.

Explaining the genesis of the concert, was Ajit Gupte, the deputy director general of the ICCR. As he said, “Currently we are having the third IBSA summit where the heads of state from India, Brazil and South Africa are coming together. On the eve of the summit, we have a celebratory and festive occasion. The summit strives to encourage cooperation between the three nations as they are among the largest developing countries…Dance, music, food are an integral part of culture and we seek to expose the people of India to different kinds of foreign cultures.”