Kalakunj
SHAKTI: The Divine Energy and Power
After the successful completion of two Heritage Lottery Fund projects in 2014-15 and 2016-18, Kalakunj is delighted to present ‘SHAKTI: The Divine Energy and Power’, a project supported by an Arts Council England grant in 2021.
This project aims to explore the portrayal of women in the realms of Indian mythology and the role of women in society through an array of South Asian classical dance genres. With many recent feminism movements, we are excited to delve into this very relevant subject looking through the prism of Indian classical dance and music.
As part of this, Kalakunj organised three 2-day dance workshops led by renowned performing artists of South Asian Arts, during 2021:
KUCHIPUDI workshop ARUNIMA KUMAR, 4-5 September 2021
BHARATANATYAM workshop DIVYA KASTURI, 18-19 September 2021
ODISSI workshop Dr PARVATI RAJAMANI, 6-7 November 2021
Final showcase 13 November 2021
In these workshops, attendees were able to pull out their dancing feet and experience the true flavour of the dance form first-hand, with a piece taught by the experts themselves!
Additionally, the final performance showcase was held on Saturday 13 November 2021 @ University of Reading. The audience were able to witness the richness of South Asian dance and the various facets of feminism deeply rooted in the arts and culture, performed by the three distinguished artists. What’s more, the workshop participants also received the opportunity to perform their learned piece to an audience!
This was a wonderful opportunity to embark on an artistic journey, perhaps to become a dancer for the first time, or to witness high calibre, tantalising classical performances, and to explore the female entity in South Asian Arts. For tickets, please visit https://kalakunj-ace.eventbrite.com/ (closed now).
