Shared History turns five

There is a varied programme at the annual Shared History: The Indian Experience Festival, which tracks the common heritage of India, Joburg and South Africa as a whole.
A JAM-PACKED programme of contemporary and classical music, dance, literature, theatre and food from the exotic sub-continent was announced by the High Commission of India in South Africa and Teamwork Productions.

AnoushkaChoreographer Anoushka Kirien will collaborate with artists from Brazil and SAThe two launched the programme of the Shared History: The Indian Experience Festival, which runs from 3 to 24 September, at the Southern Sun Grayston last week.

This festival, part of the annual Joburg Arts Alive International Festival, showcases exceptional works from India and provides an avenue for dialogue and collaborative work exchange between India and Johannesburg.

“The Shared History Festival is a unique celebration of plurality and the common heritage of India and South Africa. Over the years it has become a platform to showcase the best music, theatre, dance, food and visual arts from India,” explained, the high commissioner, Virendra Gupta.

This year, the festival celebrates its fifth birthday in Joburg and will again delight, amaze, entertain and enthral audiences, note the organisers.

Sanjoy Roy, the managing director of Teamwork Productions and the festival director, added: “Now in its fifth year, Shared History will be a unique celebration of ideas and content, presented in a spirit of collaboration between South African companies and those from India. Shared History is a platform for the arts which transcend language, social barriers and art forms.”

A variety of events and performances will be on the programme, from the cuisine of Bengal to the Words on Water literature festival. There will be contemporary dance in the form of Dance Like A Man, Rhythm Divine and Rajasthan Josh, as well as the family-orientated Wellbeing Experience.

Roy said that since Shared History had come to Joburg, “we’ve learnt so much. It’s the arts that allow us a window to see different cultures and to understand where people come from.”

Dance Like a ManDance Like a Man will run at The FringeTeamwork Productions is an entertainment company that produces 17 performing and visual arts festivals in 21 cities in 11 countries, namely Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, India, Israel, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, UK and US.

Highlights
Highlights of Shared History this year include the folk music traditions of Rajasthan in Rajasthan Josh, which opens the festival.

Kutla Khan, Nathoo Solanki, Chuggee Khan and Patricia use instruments like the morchang (a wind percussion instrument), bhapang (drum), khartaal (castanets), double flute, nagara (a double-headed drum) and bamboo flute, and incorporate vocal styles ranging from Sufi traditions and bhajans, or religious songs, to popular folk songs of Rajasthan.

The performance is combined with dances like the chari dance; kalbelia, or snake charmers’ dance; and terah taali at the Zoo Lake on 4 September at Arts Alive’s annual Jazz on the Lake. The performance is repeated on 6 September at the Joburg Theatre Complex’s Mandela Stage, at 8pm.

In the music line-up, there is Shubha Mudgal – In Concert – Music of the Mystics. This is a selection of Indian poetry that has been converted into song. It is on at the Linder Auditorium on the University of the Witwatersrand Education Campus, on 9 September at 8pm.

Di Sparks, the festival’s public relations officer, said: “One of India’s most versatile singers, Shubha Mudgal, is an exponent of Hindustani classical music who is equally at ease experimenting with diverse genres of music, such as fusion and cross-cultural collaborations, music and devotional music. She is also a composer and a teacher, in addition to being involved with many projects related to music education, and the dissemination of Indian music.”

Accompanying her are three accomplished musicians –Aneesh Pradhan on tabla, Sudhir Nayak on harmonium, and Pratap Rath on percussion.

AneeshAneesh Pradhan on tablaFor theatre lovers, Mahesh Dattani’s Dance Like A Manis scheduled for the Joburg Theatre Complex’s The Fringe from 8 to 10 September.

Sparks noted: “The story of Jairaj and Ratna, two Bharatnatyam dancers past their prime, is contrasted with that of their daughter Lata, who is on the brink of establishing herself as a brilliant dancer. Her imminent success creates tension and jealousy, and the audience is drawn into the dark secrets of family relationships and conflicts between generations.”

The play probed the surface of the characters to question their deeper motivations, but the mode was comic rather than tragic, she said, even though the concerns were serious. The show is produced and directed by Lillete Dubey and the playwright, Mahesh Dattani, is one of the featured authors at the Words on Water Literature festival.

Words on Water
A festival within a festival, Words on Water – India and South Africa in Conversation, is presented in association with the Centre for Indian Studies in Africa at Wits University. It encompasses conversations between Indian and South African authors, readings and performances.

Featured authors include Jaishree Mishra, Jeet Thayil, Namita Devidayal, Mahesh Dattani, and a leading journalist and author, MJ Akbar. This takes place at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown on 10 September from 11am onwards. Entrance is free.

Dance lovers can enjoy the world-renowned Astad Deboo’s Rhythm Divine at the Dance Factory in Newtown from 20 to 22 September.

Sparks said: “Rhythm Divine believes dance is a system of ideas and together with music can enrich the moral, the material and the intellectual. Deboo walks the perimeter with eight Manipuri thang-ta dancers to create a universe. The result is a work that records the traces and clues of things to come.”

Thang-ta is the art of the sword and spear and is a dance form adapted from the ancient martial arts form of Manipur, in northeast India.

Yoga
The Wellbeing Experience takes place on 11 September at Zoo Lake, from 9am to 5pm. It is an opportunity to engage in the holistic practice of yoga and Ayurveda. Yoga participants will be empowered to step away from day to day anxieties at this full fun-day getaway.

Indian culinary experienceTaste the cuisine of Bengal at the Southern Sun GraystonParticipants will learn to manage the stress of the modern age and experience valuable health-giving methods that will enhance their ability to lead a more alert and stress-free lifestyle. There are also lectures on Indian ayurvedic practices, organic and ayurvedic food stalls, and yoga workshops.

Yoga disciplines on the day include classical, ishta, iyenger, satyananda, sri sri and yoga for children, as well as guided meditations and music performances. The entrance fee is R50 per person.

The culinary delight of Shared History – the cuisine of Bengal – will complete the sublime experience of India at two the Southern Sun Grayston, from 15 to 17 September, and at Le Canard, 163 Rivonia Road, Morningside, from 19 to 24 September. Bookings are to be made at the respective venues.

From food to dance: three dancers from the southern hemisphere – India, Brazil and South Africa – present a dance work that explores personal and national identity framed by the sense of “emerging” cultural and creative identity.

Choreographed, designed and directed by Anoushka Kurien from India, Micheline Torres from Brazil, and Hector Thami Manekhla from South Africa, this Shared History collaboration was commissioned and presented by Arts Alive 2011. It is on at The Fringe at 8pm on 6 and 7 September and again on 20 and 21 September. Bookings must be made online on the Joburg Theatre website, by email to tickets@joburgtheatre.com or by calling 0861 670 670.

The 2011 Shared History Festival’s main sponsors are the City of Johannesburg, First National Bank, Jet Airways, and Incredible India.