Celebrates Jazz Around the World on International Jazz Day

Celebrates Jazz Around the World on International Jazz Day

In celebration, NCPA@home will feature a special Jazz performance by DownBeat Rising Star, Camille Thurman with New York City’s finest trio led by world-renowned drummer, Darrell Green at the NCPA International Jazz Festival ’19 from 6:00-7:00pm on the NCPA Mumbai YouTube Channel. In November 2011, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially designated April 30 as International Jazz Day in order to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of unitinpeople together with legendary jazz pianist and composer, Herbie Hancock. International Jazz Day brings together communities in learning about jazz and its roots along with raising awareness to the dialogues amongst cultures through this international art form recognized as a promotion of peace and freedom of expression. In light of these trying times, the National Centre for the Performing Arts would like to join in this endeavour with an online initiative to bring communities together with a touching tribute to Jazz. These performances will be broadcasted at multiple intervals between April 29 to May 1 on NCPA’s social media platforms taking into account all cities, countries and time zones in hopes of celebrating jazz together all around the world. The artistes who have come together with the NCPA in this global celebration include maestros from India, the United States of America, Italy, Japan, Israel, Netherlands, Germany, London and Singapore amongst other countries. The videos collated feature over 75 artistes from the largest jazz hubs all around the world expressing themselves with intimate home-recordings in this celebration of hope. Jazz remains as it was then; Music promising hope and freedom, an art form which evokes identity and augments the desire to express. As Duke Ellington understood it, Jazz embodied certain ideals of freedom and independence through which it evolved, and according to him, “the music is so free that many people say it is the only unhampered, unhindered expression of complete freedom yet produced”. Farrahnaz Irani, General Manager – Western Music, NCPA. Celebrates Jazz Around the World on International Jazz Day

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 Online – a New Performance Venue for the Arts

Online – a New Performance Venue for the Arts

International Dance Day is celebrated the world over on April 29. It is a global celebration of dance, created by the Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute, the main partner for the performing arts of UNESCO. No one can undermine the effect of a live performance. The experience of alert minds bonding with each other through the arts. A silent exchange of energy, a silent connection giving rise to multiple emotions. A few weeks back this medium suddenly came to a standstill. With the country under lockdown, live performance spaces are closed. Empty stage, vacant seats. But the show must go on. And it did. Every challenge comes with opportunities. NCPA and many such veteran organisations started their online screening from their archival treasures.   As an arts manager at the NCPA, going online has given us the opportunity to add art more to the lives of our audiences. With live shows we were able to only reach out to people who can physically visit our venues but with online we reach out to even that lady who perhaps has never stepped out of her kitchen. My grandmother listened to the radio as she cooked. Those memories of Indian classical music drenched in her mild spices still linger in that space. Growing up her kitchen was no less a space that I connected with good art. An experience dotted with explanations of ragas or stories of wondrous sadhanas of acclaimed artistes as she chopped away. This course into music appreciation was no less for a young mind as mine.  She always missed not being able to watch dance. Today she would have been happy. Every time we have a screening of our music and dance shows, we have audiences sharing photos of themselves – at their homes, with their kids watching an Indian classical music or a dance show. Online surely has helped us reach out better. It has created a new performance venue for us. Both to perform and to experience… With opportunity comes the necessity of focussed research and planning so that the presentations do justice to the art and the artiste. And with that also comes the topic of sustainability. I know NCPA and all organisations who ticket their shows have put in a lot of effort in creating this habit of paying for good art. With a lot of content now being shared for free, though a beautiful way of reaching out in such tragic conditions but with it is also a growing concern of losing the habit of paying for the arts. This contribution is important. Though in most cases box office collection for the classical arts barely cover the expenses of putting up the show but this participation from the audience in acknowledging the efforts and years of hard work by the artistes are important. It is important to that young kid sitting with her parents watching Indian classical dance with a paid subscription to believe in the talent that she has. A confirmation that her dancing talent matters to the world as much as her skills in solving trigonometry. So what kind of content then should be free online? It’s tough to answer this. Probably something which can’t be recreated or has been extensively performed (and some investment has been recovered). I feel new content (unless supporting a cause) should be reserved for the special person who gives us the respect of creation with subscription. By Swapnokalpa Dasgupta- Head- (Odissi dance artist) and Dance Programming, NCPA. Online – a New Performance Venue for the Arts

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