Sources’ research
Indian Per forming Ar t s
Milòn Mèla The Fair of Sharing
U n d e r t h e dire c t i o n of A b ani Bis wa s t h e o n - g o ing t h eat re p ro j e c t c all e d S o u r c e s ’ R e s e a r c h is a c t i ve fo r t h e la s t 20 ye ar s, in Euro p e and in I ndia. T h e S o u r c e s ’ R e s e a r c h p e r fo r ming a c t i v it y is fo cus e d o n I ndian t ra dit i o nal te chniqu e s, t h e m et h o d of wo r k and re s earch co m e s fro m t h e e x p e r i e nce of t h e “T h eat re of S o urce s” dire c te d by J e r z y Grotow sk i, in w hi ch A b ani Bis wa s ha d co lla b o rate d fro m 1979 to 19 8 3. O n e of t h e main g o als of t h e pro j e c t is to make t h e s e anci e nt t ra dit i o nal te chniqu e s a c t i ve l y fun c t i o ning in w id e r f i e lds and fo r t h e b e n ef it s of co nte m p o rar y ar t is t s . To day, in I ndia, in t h e r ural and t r ib al zo n e s, t h e re are ar t is t i c co mmunit i e s s t ill a c t i ve. F o r t h e t ra dit i o nal ar t is t s t h e creat i ve e x pre s si o n re pre s e nt s a fundam e nt al e l e m e nt of t h e ir p e r s o nal li ve s and at t h e s am e t im e it co mmuni c ate s t h e valu e s and n e e ds of t h e ir co mmunit i e s . T h e life of t h e s e “cultural re s e r ve s” is co ns t ant l y im p e r ill e d. T h ey are fo rg ot te n by t h e ur b an s o ci et y, a b and o n e d by t h e pr i vate an d p ub li c cultural ins t itu t i o ns, e x p l o ite d and d efo r m e d by ma s s m e dia fo r a pure l y co mm e rcial pur p o s e. S o u r c e s ’ R e s e a r c h a c t i v it i e s pu t fo r ward an alte r nat i ve to t h e e x is t ing situat i o n in t h e area of s p e cif i c I ndian t ra dit i o nal p e r fo r ming ar t s . T h e m et h o d of wo r k br ings to g et h e r re p re s e nt at i ve s of dif fe re nt p o pular t ra dit i o ns of I ndia. P ro j e c t a c t i v it i e s create co ndit i o ns and e nco ura g e m e nt fo r t h e o r iginal and creat i ve wo r k of t ra dit i o nal pra c t it i o n e r s . At t h e s am e t im e an o p p o r tunit y is gi ve n to pre s e nt t h e ir ar t in fro nt of a w id e r pub li c, b ot h in m o re p e r s o nal s e t t ings of wo r k- s e s si o ns a s we ll a s p e r fo r mance s and p ara d e s . T his p ar t of t h e pro j e c t prov id e s p ar t i cip at ing ar t is t s w it h mate r ial re s o urce s fo r t h e m, fo r t h e ir famili e s an d co mmunit i e s . T h e p ro j e c t co m b in e s wo r k sh o p s, p e r fo r mance s, p ara d e s an d fe s t i val a c t i v it i e s . M il ò n M è la re pre s e nt s a uniqu e o p p o r tunit y to pre s e nt anci e nt and at t ra c t i ve I ndian p e r fo r ming ar t s to a larg e audi e nce. M il ò n M è la p e r fo r mance s are a uniqu e o p p o r tunit y to e nj oy a s tunning mi x of li ve musi c, v isual and p hy si c al p e r fo r mance fro m a cro s s I ndia. T h e p e r fo r mance is a s t r ing of cl o s e - k nit p e r fo r mance s d o n e in dif fe re nt dramat i c and t h eat r i c al t ra dit i o ns of I ndia by we ll - k n ow n ma s te r s w hi ch is vair ing a cco rding to dif fe re nt p la ce s, in t h e at re halls o r in o p e n area s . T h e s e anci e nt r itualis t i c fo r ms have a high ar t is t i c all y valu e and t h ey are a b l e to invo l ve a larg e audi e nce, fro m childre n to a dult s . Sin ce 19 9 0 S o u r c e s ’ R e s e a r c h ha s it s ow n wo r k- ce nt re “T h e at re H o us e” at S ant iniket an ( We s t B e ngal ) , w h e re eve r y year, fro m N ove m b e r to F e br uar y, re sid e nt ial wo r k s e s si o ns are t ak ing p la ce. T h eat re H o us e s e r ve s a s a p la ce of m e et ing and creat i ve a c t i v it i e s fo r a larg e num b e r of t ra dit i o nal ar t is t s, l o c al t r ib al p o pulat i o ns a s we ll a s wan d e r ing m o nk s of dif fe re nt re ligi o us cur re nt s .
M i l ó n M é l a u n i t e s a r t i s t s fr o m E a s t a n d We s t , fr o m d if f e r e n t r e l i g i o n s a n d c u l t u r e s i n a h a r m o n i o u s s p i r i t o f c o l l a b o ra t i o n t h r o u g h a r t i s t i c p ra c t i c e s , i t i n c l u d e s 19 a r t i s t s a n d m a s t e r s :
3 4 5 3 3
B auls musi cians of B e ngal ma s te r s of K alar ip ayat tu mar t ial ar t ( Ke rala ) Chhau dance r s ( Jar k hand / Bihar) G ot ip ua dance r s ( O r is s a ) a c to r s and musi cians
A r t i s t i c d i r e c t o r : A b a n i B i s wa s
A b ani B is w as , dire c tor of the S our ce s’ Re se ar ch – M ilón M é la P ro je c t cur re ntly live s and work s in We s t B e ngal ( I ndia ) . H is involve m e nt in the f ie ld of p e r for ming ar t s date s many ye ar s b ack. I n the Six tie s he p ar ticip ate d in the work of Kalp atar u T he atre Comp any that pur sue d the m o de l of a We s te r n the atre. I n 1973, to g ethe r w ith a g roup of young ar tis t s , he founde d the L iv ing T he atre of C alcut ta. From 1979 to 19 8 3 he p ar ticip ate d in the multicultur al p ro je c t of T he atre of S our ce s dire c te d by a P olish the atre mas te r J e r z y Grotow ski. T his work has cons titute d for him the m os t si g nif icant e x p e rie nce, b oth on the p e r sonal as we ll as p rofe s sional leve l. Af te r the conclusion of the T he atre of S our ce s p ro je c t A b ani retur ne d to I ndia and b e gan to deve lo p his work in the f ie ld of tr aditional p e r for mative discipline s . H e has tr ave le d e x te nsive ly in dif fe re nt r ur al zone s of B e ngal, B ihar, O ris s a as we ll as in the S outh of I ndia. T he re he m et ar tis t s and v arious mas te r s of dif fe re nt tr aditions , culture s and re li g ions , and e s tablishe d long - las ting work and human re lationships . Since 19 8 6 , to g ethe r w ith the e s se ntial work on re se ar ch in tr aditional ar tis tic communitie s , he launche d the p ro je c t T he S our ce s’ Re se ar ch – M ilón M é la ( in B e ngali : T he Fair of Coming To g ethe r) . I n 19 9 0 w ith his ow n re sour ce s A b ani has cre ate d the work- ce nte r T he atre H ouse ne ar S antiniketan ( We s t B e ngal ) .
Per formance Co m e and b e e nchante d by t h e t ra dit i o nal musi c an d m e di eval my s t i c s o ngs of t h e B aul sing e r s and musi cians of We s t B e ngal. L et yo ur s e lf b e m e sm e r is e d by t h e a cro b at i c dance of t h e ma gnif i ce nt ma ske d Chhau dance r s an d dr umm e r s fro m P ur ulia ( Bihar) . L et t h e a dre nalin e f l ow watching t h e e xcit ing s wo rd f ight s of t h e K alar ip ayat tu ma s te r s fro m Ke ral and b e c a pt i vate d by t h e ref in e d an d har m o ni o us yo ung G ot ipua dance r s fro m O r is s a – all t h e M il ò n M è la ar t is t s j o in to g et h e r to prov id e yo u w it h an e xce pt i o nal and unfo rg et t a b l e eve ning. T h e qui ck r hy t hm of t h e musi c of T h e B a u l s of B e ngal want s to wake up o ur e n e rg y, t h e j oy of b e ing ali ve an d pre s et s . B auls o r iginate fro m a co mmunit y of wand e r ing my s t i c al sing e r s t hat g o e s b a ck to t h e M id dl e Ag e s . I nf lu e nce d by Bud dhism and Su f ism, eve n if t h ey are H indus, t h ey d o n ot re co gnize c a s te di v isi o ns, t h ey profe s s e qualit y of fait hs and re ligi o ns and ret ain t hat D i v ini t y ha s it s p la ce in t h e H ear t of eve r y M an. P e r fo r ming ar t s and creat i ve te chniqu e s have b e co m e fo r t h e B auls a way of li v ing t hat wa s o r iginall y co m b in e d w it h t h e s earch fo r inn e r k n ow l e d g e. N owa day s it is t h e ar t is t i c a s p e c t t hat prevails, to t h e d et r im e nt of p e r s o nal s earch. B auls make t h e ir ow n chara c te r is t i c musi c al ins t r um e nt s ( s t r ings , p e rcus si o ns ) and are t r u e ma s te r s of im prov is at i o n. T h e ro ot s of t h e G o t i p u a D a n c e fro m O r is s a g o b a ck to I ndian M id dl e Ag e s and are linke d to t h e anci e nt t ra dit i o n of D eva da si ( fe mal e te m p l e dance r s ) . To day dance r s are mainl y b oy s b et we e n t h e a g e of 8 and 15 year s dre s s e d in wo man’s cl ot h e s, w h o, using a ve r y ref in e d s t y l e, p e r fo r m pre cis e s te p s, a s we ll a s M udra s ( hand g e s ture s ) , eye s an d fa cial e x pre s si o ns, and cla s si c Yo ga p o s ture s . T h e s of t har m o ny of a cro b at i c m ove m e nt s co m b in e d w it h vo c al and ins t r um e nt al a cco m p anim e nt ( Pakuaj p e rcus si o ns and H ar m o nium key b o ards ) chara c te r ize t his ve r y ref in e d cla s si c al dance. S alu t at i o ns and co m b at s of K a l a r i p aya t t u ( s t i ck s, s wo rds and shi e lds ) . I t s e e ms us to watch at t h e anci e nt f ight of t h e Gre e k h e ro e s ; t h e us e of ar ms and t h e qui ck a c t i o ns gi ve us m o m e nt s of sus p e ns e in t his t ra dit i o nal breat h t ak ing co m b at. K alar ip ayat tu is o n e of t h e m o s t anci e nt mar t ial ar t s of I ndia and it is c all e d t h e M ot h e r of all t h e ar t is t i c dis cip lin e s of S o u t h e r n I ndia. T hro ugh o u t t h e a g e s, to g et h e r w it h t h e pra c t i ce of mar t ial te chniqu e s , t h e M ar ma : k n ow l e d g e of t h e human b o d y and it s 10 8 e n e rg y and v it al ce nt re s ha s b e e n d eve l o p e d. Two yo ung K alar ip ayat tu ma s te r s t hat wo r k w it h us co m e fro m a re n ow n e d s ch o o l in Tr i vandr um. D ur ing t h e o u td o o r s p e r fo r mance s t h e Fire Dance is includ e d in t h e pro gram. An explosion of energy and movement, daredevil somersault and jumps, Chau is an ancient tribal dance of Purulia ( Bihar) , prac ticed to this days by rural populations while invoking the Hindu divinit y Shiva to grant them rain and abundant har vest. The Chhau dancers use beautiful mask s (weighing up to 4 kilos) that represent Hindu deities, demons and tribal spirit s, and enac t stories of the Mahabharat tha, Ramayana and Purana, the ancient sacred book s of India, to the rhy thmical accompaniment of pipe and big drums.
Te chnic al re quirement s S h ow t i m e . 1h 15 minu te s w it h o u t inte r val. S p a c e d i m e n s i o n s . 8 x7 m ete r s . F o r o u td o o r p e r fo r man ce s a wo o d e n p lat fo r m is n e e d e d. F o r in d o o r p e r fo r mance s ( t h eat re s t a g e o r a larg e hall ) a p o s sib ili t y of a co m p l ete b la cko u t is re quire d. L i g ht s . 20 a d jus t a b l e revo l v ing light s, 5 f l o o r- light s, 4 s p ot s / ye ll ow and o rang e. Sound . 6 lavaliere radio - microphones, 4 direc tional microphones with perches. If the hall has a good acous tic s it is preferable to use natural sound without any amplification. It is impor t ant that the ar tis tic direc tor visit s the location before the per formance.
Parade A t r ul y ins p ir ing eve nt , M il ò n M è la p ara d e is a j oy ful o u td o o r ce l e brat i o n of li ve p e r fo r man ce in all i t s fo r ms, a s p e c t a cular musi c al and v isual pro ce s si o n t hro ugh t h e s t re et s and s quare of t h e ci t y, creat ing a co l o ur ful at m o s p h e re of mar ve l and e xcite m e nt and br inging to g et h e r t h e ci t y ’s di ve r s e co mmunit i e s, childre n and grow n - up s alike, fo r a t r u e fea s t of t h e s e ns e s . D y nami c and f ill e d w it h e n e rg y t h e Para d e is l e d by t h e li ve a co us t i c musi c of t h e B aul musi cians , fo ll owe d by t h e ma ske d Chhau w it h t h e ir a cro b at i c dance s and t h e ir r hy t hmi c dr ums , by t h e K alar ip ayat tu mar t ial ar t s ma s te r s w it h t h e ir s wo rd co m b at s co m b in e d w i t h w hir ling f ire s and by t h e ref in e d and har m o ni o us G ot ipua dance r s . I t is punc tuate d by a d di t i o nal minip e r fo r mance s by ea ch gro up of ar t is t s, w h o w ill sur pr is e and ama ze yo u w i t h t h e sk il ful dis p lay of t h e ir ar t and t al e nt. P e o p l e c an fo ll ow t h e p ara d e all t h e way t hro u gh fro m t h e s t ar t , c atch it and j o in in at any p o int o n t h e ro u te, o r jus t watch it a s a by s t and e rany of t h e s e. I d eall y, t h e Para d e sh o uld s t ar t at suns et and evo l ve into t h e night illuminate d by t h e light s of t h e Fire Dance. Te c h n i c a l r e q u i r e m e nt s S h ow t i m e . 1h 15 minu te s w it h o u t inte r val. N o any te chni c al e quipm e nt is re qu e s te d fo r t h e Para d e. T h e e s t a b lish e d ro u te ha s to b e cl o s e d to t raf f i c fo r t h e durat i o n of t h e Para d e. A cl earance to e x hib it f ire wo r k s sh o uld b e o bt ain e d. I t is e s s e nt ial t hat t h e ar t is t i c dire c to r v isit s t h e l o c at i o ns b efo re t h e p ara d e.
Cost s Euro s 4 .5 0 0 + VAT + t rave ll fro m I t al y ( by o ur t wo minibus s e s ) + l o d ging and fo o d e x p e nce s .
M il ó n M é la p e r fo r ming a c t i v it y ha s p ar t i cip ate d in many t h eat re fe s t i vals in I t al y, Sp ain, Sw it ze r land, P o land and Aus t r ia. I t ha s b e e n p e r fo r ming in cit y s quare s and s t re et s, o p e n are na s and t h eat re s . I t ha s co ndu c te d wo r k sh o p s in uni ve r sit i e s and ins t itu te s, w it h t h eat re gro up s, cultural a s s o ciat i o ns, p s ych ot h e ra p is t s and p e da g o gu e s . D ur ing year s of a c t i v it y, a valua b l e co lla b o rat i o n ha s b e e n e s t a b lish e d w it h t h e fo ll ow ing ins t itu t i o ns : • Ce nt ro Teat ro Ate n e o, U ni ve r sit y of Ro m e “L a S a p i e nz a”, prof. F e r r u cci o M arot t i. • Ce nt re fo r Stud y of J e r z y Grotow sk i ’s Wo r k and fo r Cultural and T h eat r i c al R e s earch, Wro claw, P o land, Stefa Gard e cka • Wo lke r kund e mus eum d e r U ni ve r sit at Zur i ch, D r. A ndrea s I sl e r. • U ni ve r sit y of Ke nt , Cante r bur y. D rama D e pt. P rof. Paul A ll e n T h e c o l l a b o ra t i o n b e t we e n M i l o n M e l a a n d O zu , w hi ch is b a s e d o n t h e co mm o n int re s t in t ra dit i o nal and co nte m p o rar y ar t s, co nt inu e s since summ e r 20 07, w it h t h e o rganiz at i o n of inte nsi ve wo r k sh o p s fo r s tud e nt s fro m “L a S a p i e nz a” U ni ve r sit y of Ro m e. Since 20 0 9, t h e I ndian gro up ha s als o ch o s e n OZ U a s h o s t ing ce nt re dur ing t h e ir summ e r Euro p ean to ur. T h e co lla b o rat i o n is inte nsif y ing w it h t h e o rganiz at i o n of a d dit i o nal wo r k sh o p s
t hat are o p e n to t h e pub li c and w ill t ake p la ce in
OZ U dur ing summ e r 2010.
For information please contac t : A s s o c ia z i o n e O f f i c i na Zo n e U m a n e O N LUS L a r g o M o r i c o n e, 1 02033 M o n t e l e o n e S a b i n o ( R I ) - I TA LY +3 9.0765 8 85 027 i n f o @ oz u .i t w w w.oz u .i t