Adishakti’s Narrative Report of Activities for April 2007 to March 2008

Cultural Programs: 

As per Adishakti’s annual plan for the year 2007-2008, Vinay Kumar commenced work in April 2007, on his debut directorial venture: Ionesco’s Rhinoceros. It was premiered on the 30th of March 2008 at the Sir Ratan Tata Koothu Kovil and had five shows there. It was repeated in April 2008. It was also part of the Adishakti retrospective in October. It will be performed again in Bangalore at the Adishakti Retrospective at the Rangashankara in December 2008. 
 
Also according to plan, Adshakti spent time, on a daily routine for evolving its craft of performance further and of reviewing its old craft techniques.

(a)This was an opportunity for its newer members to be brought up to date with such techniques. 

(b) Additionally it helped Adishakti in creating a Workshop module of performance techniques for Dancers, Singers and Actors, which have emerged from Traditional Indian Knowledges but are applicable to Contemporary Performance. This becomes important in the context of contemporary performers who train in traditional forms but do not know how to apply this training in contemporary performance.  
In April 2007 Adishakti gave three performances of The Hare and the Tortoise in Bangalore—13th, 14th, 15th April. This was done gratis for the TFA. The performances helped the production to mature. 
 
In mid April Adishakti hosted Swiss Dancer Jean-Marc Heim and 6 Indian dancers from Kalakshetra. Jean-Marc is creating a contemporary performance with these Bharatanatyam dancers, which will later travel to Europe. 
 
 
From April end into May Adishakti hosted two performers from Columbia. One of these performers --Susana Uribe-- gave a ten day workshop on body technique. On the 7th May she gave a performance at the SRTKK based on a collection of poems by Columbian poets.
 
At the end of April Adishakti worked with percussion maestro Ishwaran Unni, as a preparation towards its performances of Ganapati in May at the SRTKK.

In May Adishakti performed Ganapati in Hamburg Germany at Kampnagel for the Polyzentral.
 
From 12th May till 18th May Veenapani went to Paris, at her own expense, to meet with collaborators there who hope to set up a program called ‘Painting and Theatre’ at Adishakti in 2008. This is part of Adishakti’s program titled Horizontal Connections, which seeks to connect theatre with other genres. We hope to invite painters from all over the world to this program at Adishakti.

In June Dr Leela Gandhi, Professor, English Department, University of Chicago, visited Adishakti. As the team was working on the Rhinoceros she advised them on the thought behind the Theatre of the Absurd. 
 
On the 15.6.2007 there was a performance by Yasmine Jandanlala at the SRTTKK.

On the 4th July 2007 there was a Mime performance by Dhrupad.

On the 6th August 2007 there was a performance of To the Death of my Own Family by Farah Bala , directed by Peter Ratrey performed at the SRTTKK. 
 
In August Adishakti performed The Hare And The Tortoise at the Sir Ratan Tata Koothu Kovil and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. 
 
In the same month Adishakti interacted with dancer Rakini Devi, the Asialink Fellow from Australia, who stayed at Adishakti on a one month Residency.
 
In August Adishakti also hosted a three day workshop between Arshia Sattar and Visual Artists from all over India. The theme was Women from the Ramayana.

From August into September Adishakti hosted two dancers from Brussels on a residency at Adishakti. 
 
They performed their work The Night Life for Adishakti on the 25th August.

In October performed THATT at Ninassam.
 
Mid October the Adishakti Team had their annual performers massage.

In early November Veenapani Chawla went to Portugal to conduct a workshop for actors, dancers and singers. She was supported by the Orient Foundation.
 
In the same month Jean Marc Heim returned with a six member company of dancers on a one month residency.

 
In December 3 Musicians from Brussels stayed at Adishakti to create work which was performed in Adishakti at the end of their stay.
 
At the end of December Sujata Goel dancer from Brussels returned for three weeks to rework her piece Nightlife.
 
THATT was performed at the SRTKK for Arian Bergh festival director of the Linz Festival. 
 
Ishwaranunni Mizhavu master from Kerala trained the Adishakti Actors fro 5 days at the end of December.
 
Performance of Ganapati at SRTKK for Sandro Lenin - Festival director from Switzerland.

Performance of Ganapati at Kalakshetra in January 2008. 
 
Adishakti hosted and conducted its first International and National Workshop in January 2008. It was the first time that essentially Indian techniques of performance valid for contemporary theatre were imparted to a national and international constituency January 2008.

Adishakti hosted a week long seminar and workshop by Majlis in mid February 2008
 
At the end of the session it gave a performance of THATT in February 2008.
 
Dancer Mallika Sarabai and French actor Astride Bris visited Adishakti. 
  
Adishakti Artistic Director Veenapani Chawla was invited to be on the Editorial Board of a new Theatre Journal being published by Routledge UK and launched by the Performance Studies Department at the University of Leeds.

The Month of March was devoted entirely to the completing of Rhinoceros .