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International Ancient Arts Festival / Symposium 2012

Timing: 17:00 [May 16, 2012 - May 17, 2012]

Reela Hota, Vidha Lal, Ustad Hamid Ali Khan, Wang Fei

Festival > Music and Dance

New Delhi > Delhi > India

We all know that music heals. Now experience it for yourself at the International Ancient Arts Festival. Organised by Rays of Wisdom Society founded by Odissi danseuse and spiritualist Reela Hota, this is a multi-arts event, highlighting the therapeutic role of various aspects of dance, music and allied arts and their relevance in relieving the stress in our lives. See international performing artists and scholars from across the globe including nations like Pakistan, China, Iran and the USA participate in the festival, listen to rare musical instruments like the Chinese Guqin and the Iranian Tar/Setar and see collaborative dance performances. Music and dance as a therapy has been effectively used to treat mental and psychological problems including cerebral palsy. Classical and folk dances of India, the whirling dervishes of Turkey, the Vietnamese ballet are all intrinsically linked to their cultures healing systems. Today, arts are being used extensively in therapy to help a person seek his happiness and peace of mind and this is what this unique festival hopes to achieve. May 16 7:10 pm: Watch the spiritual interpretation of Rabindranath Tagore's poems in Odissi by Reela Hota who will present a unique dance piece on the philosophy of Yoga and Tantra. Also see Kathak by Vidha Lal, creative dance by Naresh Kumar, Gaudiya Nritya by Gaudiya Nritya Bharati and Pung Cholom & Ras Leela by Prem Manipur Cultural association. 7:45 pm: Listen to soul-stirring sufi music by Pakistan's Ustad Hamid Ali Khan. May 17 5:00 pm: Attend a talk on 'The Body as Sacred Instrument' by Dr Vivien Marcow-Speiser from the Cambridge University; a talk on 'Healing Sounds for Children with Disabilities: Finding the Power of Love to Facilitate Growth and Change' by Dr Phillipe Speiser, Director of Arts Therapy at Whittier Street Health Center, Roxbury, followed by a talk by psychologist Dr Aruna Broota on Arts in Psychotherapy. 7:00 pm: Listen to a unique international collaborative musical piece featuring various artists-Wang Fei playing geqin, a modern name for a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument of the zither family; Bahman Panahi playing Tar/Setar, a Persian musical instrument and Johar Ali from India playing violin. 7:45 pm: A performance by classical Indian vocal by Padma Bhushan Pandit Rajan and Sajan Mishra (India). Also see an exhibition of pottery by the Potter's Village of South Asia Foundation and Yoga Tools and Kits by Yoga Guru Bijoylaxmi Hota. Passes to the event available at Anand Store, Khan Market; Cottage Emporium, Janpath; Khadi, CP; Odisha Emporium, Baba Khadak Singh Marg and Kamani Auditorium. For details log on to: www.ancientarts.in