Not all representations of South Asian culture include Madonna
with colorful bindis on her forehead or Heather Graham in a sari
running around with an Indian immigrant who is posing as a
guru.
In fact, UCLA’s Fowler Museum, continuing with its
“Fowler Out Loud” series, is holding a performance
tonight, geared toward shedding a new light on the culture of South
Asia.
Presented by the UCLA Ethnomusicology and World Arts and
Cultures Departments, the four-part performance looks to capture
the cultural nuances of Indian society through modern and
traditional dance along with classical music.
“The show aims to promote broader diversities to the
students,” said Jonathan Ritter, organizer for “Fowler
Out Loud.” “We’ve had everything from Japanese
Taiko drummers to Flamenco dancers ““ we want to have a wide
variety of ethnic diversity to represent the campus.”
Taking place in the central courtyard of the Fowler Museum, the
intimate setting creates a contemplative atmosphere in which the
audience can absorb both the music and the arts, according to
Ritter.
While globalization has brought over the material side of Indian
culture with Indian-style clothing and decorations, many people are
still unfamiliar with the traditional culture and its components,
including music and dance.
“It’ll be an exciting experience to draw students
into an atmosphere where they can get to know our culture a little
better,” said Viji Prakash, a WAC dance professor.
“It’s great when people know what a bindi and henna
are, but it’s better when they can learn about the intensity
and emotion of our classical dances.”
The performance’s musical component was created by
ethnomusicology professor Shujaat Khan Husain, who comes from a
lineage of world renowned sitar players. Husain’s
multicultural group of students will be playing a piece based on a
classic raga, a series of notes, with a specific composition Khan
wrote.
Though the music piece attempts to present classical Indian
music, many of the participants aren’t of Indian decent.
“Indian music has that force that draws you in,”
said Ryan Patrick Sullivan, a fourth-year ethnomusicology and
political science student. “When you hear it, it’s the
kind of music that can make you completely want to cry your eyes
out, but also seems to be a controlled fury because of its amazing
technicality.”
The first part of the performance is a solo dance. It fuses
traditional and modern Indian styles. This is followed by a
classical Indian music performance that starts out soft and slowly
becomes louder and faster until it climaxes in a crescendo. The
last portion of the show focuses on Bharatnatyam, a classical
Indian dance where the dancer performs precise hand and neck
movements, often seen in Indian art, while keeping the beat with
her feet.
Eight female dancers, dressed in quintessential Indian clothing,
will showcase classic dances for Indian deities such as Ganesh and
Nataraj.
“We wanted to focus on the fast pace of the dance, rather
than the emotive aspect of it ““ just to give people an idea
of the intensity of the performance,” said Prakash.
This collection of pieces, capitalizing on the diversity of the
culture, promotes a different perspective and aims to paint a more
accurate portrait. Indian performances don’t always focus on
the incense burning or the attempts at reaching a new spiritual
high, according to Khan.
“This performance is definitely combatting the exoticism
that is presented in numerous types of media,” Ritter said.
“It brings together traditional representations of the
culture that people shamelessly borrow from.”
PERFORMANCE: The classical Indian music and dance performance
will take place on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the center
courtyard of the Fowler Museum. Admission is free.