The Artiste and the Wishing Tree

It may sound philosophical to say that we must let go of the past and not build castles in a distant future. Be it self-help methods, Gurus or meditation apps you have just downloaded, they all reiterate the importance of living in the NOW. But this is not to say that we must not acknowledge our inheritance of a time gone by- the inheritance of a culture- of practices, rituals, traditions and the like. This is the inheritance that defines us as a society- our likes, dislikes, attitudes and emotion. And if we must move into better tomorrows, it becomes all the more important to assess our past, learn from it and live a NOW that is the foundation of a better tomorrow. Does this only talk of our life in general or does it resonate with the professional world of the arts? It has much to do with the way we must look at the arts scene as it exists today, if we must move into a more conducive environment for the arts tomorrow. However to assess the entire spectrum across which the arts are...

I have often wondered if artistes practicing the classical arts live in a bubble. I often wonder if the classical arts themselves have been imprisoned into a bubble that is not accessible to the world at large. I will be quick to clarify that in today's performance arena, there is inspiring content and many of us are diligently studying to learn and understand the depth of the classical arts. While as artistes, the world of classical arts seems to be filled with so much work, there is an undeniable disconnect with the masses at large. Many artistes are choosing to do gratifying research in the classical arts but unfortunately a quick chat with any person unrelated to the arts will only confirm the disconnect. Our audiences are niche, and the number of people in that audience who understand the depth of what is portrayed is even smaller. Beyond this audience, there is an entire spectrum of public that is uninitiated into the arts. Appreciation or engagement with a performance is ...