The Artiste and the Wishing Tree

With the evolution of the performing arts, patronage for the arts has evolved too. It has taken on different forms. While we all agree that the classical arts could definitely do with better and more patronage today, it is worthwhile to look at what IS available. When one talks of an art patron, there are a number of things that come to mind- 'Individuals' who promote artistes and their work, ' Sabhas' that are meant to be the melting pot of art, discussion and deliberation, and 'Organisations' run by an individual or a group of like minded individuals. 'Individuals' with the means to promote art are far and few to come by, nevertheless with a zeal to take the arts forward. The 'Sabha' which literally means a congregation of people, meant to be a congregation of learned people who came together to promote art, present artistes to discerning rasikas and enable a dialogue between artiste and audience. The identity and idea of a Sabha has underg...

UNBOXED is a series of experiments in the field of movement arts. What does it aim to look at? Why should such a series of experiments be set up? How does one analyse such a subjective art? What are we to gain from such a process?  Artistes and performers pride themselves in the materialisation of a concept. When it materialises into  a beautiful performance, there is heightened satisfaction. Beyond this, when this beauty lingers in the minds of the audience, it provides a sense of contentment to the artiste. The journey from seed to flower is not a linear graphical route. From concept to contentment, there lies a web of thought, emotion, reasoning, resilience, critique and much more. How often is this creative process bared open to the audience? How often is it even bared open to co-creators or oneself? Very rarely, if not never. But isn't it important to stand aside and look at this creative process if we as artistes must grow? Of course, with limited time at hand, not...

The act of paying money to obtain a performance opportunity : Paying to Perform. "..." An excerpt from an article published in the XYZ issue of this magazine by the same author. At the time, an informal conversation with peers and several performers within the fraternity indicated that very few were willing to admit in an open forum that paying to perform was indeed a vice. Some assumed that this was the only and automatic route to popularity. Some admitted that while they wouldn't pay for a performance opportunity, they might be treading risky waters if they voiced their opinion in the open. Over the years, thankfully much of these hushed conversations have come out into the open. Thanks to increased networking through social media and the vocal support of senior performers and Gurus, several youngsters are confident about stating loud and clear that they will not pay to perform. Has this brought an end to the pay-to-perform culture? Probably not. But hopefully it...

A narrative that has been heard often... That art saw a glorious past in the precincts of temples and royal courts. That patronage from temple authorities, kings and the wealthy folk kept the arts thriving. That performers themselves belonged to a niche section of society but enjoyed immense engagement with society at large. Over the past century, the arts scene has seen a sea of change. Today, performers hail from a cross section of society and as reality stands, more people are learning and performing the classical performing arts today than ever before. Yet, engagement with society has sadly reversed- the world they engage with is now only a niche section of society. We tend to therefore fondly reminisce times gone by, assuming that a Utopian world existed once upon a time. Today, bereft of patronage and meaningful engagement with audiences, artistes yearn to recreate that Utopian ecosystem. But in order to reinstate such an ecosystem in current times, we must first understand ...