A blend of Kathak & Spanish flamenco

The British Council will be presenting ‘Torobaka’ as part of the ninth edition of The Park’s New Festival 2015 in association with Prakriti Foundation at Shilpa Kala Vedika from 7 pm onwards on September 27.

The show will bring a dance duet by Akram Khan (Kathak-contemporary, UK) and Israel Galván (Flamenco-contemporary, Spain) whose production has created a new genre in the field of dance.

The dancers grapple with the idea of Toro-vaca, a Maori-inspired poem by Tristan Tzara. Toro (the bull) and vaca (the cow) are both sacred animals in their own respective cultures and they come together but united, in a symbolic way. Alongside the four musicians in the production, the performers will draw deeply from their individual roots in Indian kathak and Spanish flamenco.

Mei-kwei Barker, director of British Council, South India, says, “We are delighted to partner with Prakriti Foundation as part of the ninth edition of the Parks New Festival to present Akram Khan’s Torobaka, a Kathak-contemporary UK dance duet. Through our work in the Arts, we link the best of the UK with Indian artists and audiences through a spirit of collaboration and exchange.

We do this through a range of activities and events including lectures, outreach workshops besides performances. We are glad that the first show is taking place here in Chennai and look forward to a successful dance tour to the other five cities in India.”

Ranvir Shah, founder of Prakriti Foundation and the curator of the festival remarked that, “The Park’s New Festival is a torch bearer of the performance arts festivals in India.

We will continue to showcase exciting new work in the field of art, promote and encourage cultural skills development and convene valuable forums for artists in mutually beneficial projects. Our long association with The Park Hotels has been an incredible journey and we wish to continue our celebration of art, expression, creativity and culture in the coming years.”

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