'Indian Strings & Dances' Exhibition: Events Programme
From Friday 10 April 2009, Croydon Clocktower hosts the 'Indian Strings and Dances' Exhibition.
This major exhibition looks at classical Indian music and dance traditions as practised in Britain today. It features instruments and dance costumes from all classical Indian music and dance traditions, video interviews with leading practitioners and a major music and dance events programme.
The exhibition will be displayed in the Croydon NOW gallery of the Museum of Croydon, Space C, Clocktower Cafe Gallery and Clocktower Court area.
A full events programme accompanies the exhibition. Please scroll down this page to see the latest details of all events.
'Indian Strings & Dances' Events Programme:
Family Events
Saturday 11 April
Arts and craft workshops
Mehndi Henna hand painting with Nisha Orozcco, 11 - 12pm
Indian bead craft workshop with Nayna Chhatraliya, 12 - 1pm
Manipuri dance workshop with Roshni Mallick, 2 - 2.45pm
All children must be accompanied by an adult. These are drop-in sessions with limited places and will be operated on a first-come, first-served basis.
FREE
Clocktower Activities Room
Museum Talks
Wednesday 15 April, 7 - 9pm
‘Perspectives on Indian music in the UK’
Join Viram Jasani, CEO of the Asian Music Circuit, as he discusses the work of the organisation in the UK.
FREE but please book a ticket in advance from the Ticket Office
Clocktower Activities Room
Saturday 9 May, 1 - 1.45pm
‘Growing into Music in North India'
Artist, scholar and researcher Nicolas Magriel talks about the sarangi – the quintessential bowed instrument of North Indian music.
FREE but please book a ticket in advance from the Ticket Office
Clocktower Activities Room
Wednesday 20 May, 7 - 8.30pm
‘Indian music recordings at the British Library: research, preservation and access’
Join Dr Janet Fargion Topp, Curator of World and Traditional Music at the British Library Sound Archive, for a talk about the Indian music recordings in their collection.
FREE but please book a ticket in advance from the Ticket Office
Clocktower Activities Room
Saturday 18 July, 1 - 1.45pm
‘Development of Indian music in Britain’
Join one of the most highly respected sitar artists, Dharambir Singh, to discuss the development of Indian music in Britain.
FREE but please book a ticket in advance from the Ticket Office
Music and Dance Performances
Saturday 11th April:
3 - 3.45pm - Sutton Subrang Dance Ensemble
A colourful extravaganza of vibrant folk dances from Gujarat.
FREE
Clocktower Court
4 - 5pm - Sarod Recital by Somjit Dasgupta
(Courtesy Darbar Festival 2009 - "Some of the best Indian music outside of India" BBC Radio 3)
Kolkata-based rare musical instrument connoisseur and multifaceted artist, Somjit Dasgupta, presents a repertoire of North Indian Classical music on Sarod, a fretless instrument, accompanied by Dharmesh Parmar on Tabla.
FREE
Clocktower Court
Saturday 25th April
2 - 2.45pm - Odissi dance by Katharine Ryan
Katharine Ryan performs the Odissi dance, one of the eight Indian Classical Dance forms, originating in the temples of Orissa, India.
3 - 3.45pm - Sattriya dance by Menaka Bora
Dancer and Scholar Menaka Bora presents the Sattriya dance, the oldest spiritual dance form of Assam.
4 - 5pm - Vijay Jagtap (sitar) and Evelyn Harvey (harp)
London-based Sitar master Vijay Jagtap gracefully blends elements of East and West with the majestic sounds of Harp by Evelyn Harvey, accompanied on the Tabla by Hanif Khan.
FREE
Clocktower Court
Saturday 9th May
2 - 2.45pm - Mohiniyattam by Parvati Nair
Parvati Nair performs a solo recital of the classical dance form of Kerala – the dance of the ‘Mohini’.
3 - 4pm - Manorama Prasad and her ensemble
Manorama Prasad provides a rare treat to sample one of the world’s oldest and most complex music traditions - Karnatic music. She is accompanied by her versatile musicians.
4.15 - 5pm - Sarangi performance by Nicolas Magriel
Enjoy a lively performance on the Sarangi by Nicolas Magriel.
FREE
Clocktower Court
Saturday 23rd May
2.30 - 3.15pm - Kuchipudi dance by Chaittanya Unni and Shiju Menon
Famous for its grace and elegance, the Kuchipudi dance originated in Andhra Pradesh. Chaittanya Unni and Shiju Menon perform with beautiful costumes, enchanting music and vivacious dance techniques.
3.30 - 4.15pm - Manipuri dance by Roshni Mallick
Roshni Mallick presents one of the most beautiful classical dances from North East India.
Surbahar performance by Baluji Shrivastav, 4.30 - 5pm
Experience the beauty of the rarely heard Surbahar'(bass-sitar), performed by Baluji Shrivastava, accompanied on the Pakhawaj by Naseem Irfan and on the Tanpura by Linda Shanovitch.
FREE
Temporary Exhibition Gallery
Saturday 18th July
2 - 2.30pm - Kaviraj Singh on the Santoor and Upneet Singh on the Tabla
3 - 3.45pm - Roopa Panesar on the Sitar and Upneet Singh on the Tabla
4 - 5pm - Avtar Singh on the Taus, accompanied by Piyush Kumar on the Tabla [Change to published details]
Talented young musicians give elegant performances on a variety of Indian instruments.
Closing ceremony
Friday 31st July, 7 - 9.30pm
7 - 8.15pm Sanjay Guha (Sitar), Tunde Jegede (Kora), James Barallet (Cello)
A cross cultural collaboration between different genres of musicians showing the journey of Indian music in multicultural Britain. Sanjay Guha, Tunde Jegede and James Barallet blend Indian improvisations with vibrant rhythms of West African and Western Classical music. Also featuring the London Sitar Ensemble.
8.30 - 9.30pm Croydon Community Dance Groups
Croydon Community Dance Groups present traditional and contemporary dance items.
FREE EVENT but please reserve seats in advance from the Ticket Office
Braithwaite Hall
The project which led to the exhibition has been supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund through a 'Your Heritage' grant to the London Sitar Ensemble.
The project is co-ordinated by Lata Desai of London Sitar Ensemble. The exhibition has been curated by Rolf Killius and Museum of Croydon staff.
We are grateful to the Horniman Museum, SALIDAA and individual donors for the loan of objects on display in this exhibition.
Return to the 'Indian Strings & Dances' Exhibition page.