INTERVIEW: Celebrate India Week at Lincoln Center in NYC
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center / Provided by Michelle Tabnick PR with permission.
India Week kicked off its festival yesterday, July 10, with programs running through the weekend at Lincoln Center in New York City. Audience members can expect comedy shows, dance performances, silent discos and so much more, and the vast majority of programs are free for summertime visitors in Midtown Manhattan.
Tonight, July 11, there’s a celebration and instruction of the traditional Indian dance style known as Garba. An hour later, Sonny Singh will offer music of hope, love and devotion. The Rose Theater, at the same time, will play host to a dance performance called Samsara from the Aakash Odedra Company.
Shanta Thake is the the chief artistic officer of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and she is quite excited for India Week and its many programs. Recently she exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox to preview the events and what audiences can expect. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
How long have you been working on putting this festival together?
The planning process for this festival has been going on for a year now, thanks to the fantastic work of our curatorial team. Last year we offered a Korean Week, and we celebrated Korean culture in the same way that we’re doing with India Week. It was incredible. The community really came out, and so many non-Koreans came out and got to learn about so many different facets of Korean culture, so we knew we wanted to continue that cross-cultural experience.
Why was it important to include comedy in the festival?
We hope that we’ll bring new audiences to India Week, people that might not have any idea of the richness of the culture, and comedy is an excellent introduction to any culture. Comedians are communicators, and these artists on our roster slice through ethnic divisions while discussing universal themes that anyone can relate to.
How important is Ragamala Dance Company’s artistic presence and cultural importance?
Rooted in the South Indian classical dance form known as Bharatanatyam, the Ragamala Dance Company teaches us all about the kindred relationship between the ancient and the contemporary. They are splendid artists and important educators who help us understand these ancient art forms as contemporary audiences. My mom is Indian, and I grew up with a great appreciation for Indian arts. I studied Kathakali dance, Carnatic singing and Bharatanatyam at various points in my life, so Indian culture has always been a big part of my personal artistic expression. I’m so glad to be able to share these beautiful traditions at Lincoln Center during India Week.
What exactly is a Silent Disco? Could you explain these events?
Our popular Silent Disco series takes place in New York City’s largest outdoor dance floor under a 10-foot disco ball. We offer late evening DJ sets transmitted through high-fidelity headphones, where thousands of new friends are invited to dance together. Our programming is packed with over 30 Silent Disco dance parties to choose from, and during India Week, we have joined with DJ Rekha who is a mainstay in NYC and world-renowned. We are very excited to partner with her to bring her favorite DJs to campus.
The spiritual and sacred are two themes that run through the programming. Why are they important to include?
In many cultures, traditional art is created and preserved through religious ceremony and gathering. India has some of the longest continuously held traditional forms, which beautifully connect us to these rich sacred gatherings over time.
Most of the performances are free. How important is access to this artistic festival?
All of the events of India Week are either free or choose-what-you-pay. They’ll take place in Damrosch Park; our Underground, which is a 250-seat secret speakeasy under the stairs of Lincoln Center; and the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center. India Week is taking over so many of our public spaces, and it’s important for New Yorkers to be able to come and explore new cultures, see things that are unfamiliar to them and also get to know a little more about their neighbors or about themselves.
This is a huge part of our story. We have an incredible Indian community that surrounds us in the tri-state area, and we want to make sure that those individuals understand that Lincoln Center is a place for them that celebrates their culture and is a place where they can come, feel at home, bring their family, have an incredible time and be proud that their culture is being celebrated in this space. Since all of the over 200 events are free or choose-what-you-pay, you’ll see New Yorkers from all walks of life, and from all around the world, because of course, New York is a tourist haven. We’re looking forward to welcoming the world to Lincoln Center and showcasing the best of India in that context.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Click here for more information on India Week, which runs through Sunday, July 14 at Lincoln Center.
