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The Rye Arts Center and The Indo-American Arts Council present Sangam: Fusion Music January 24th, 8:00 pm, at The Rye Arts Center Part of Colors of India: a five'week celebration of Contemporary Indian Art and Culture Come out for this electrifying evening of new South Asian artists. Featuring a diverse range of dance and music genres, the program aims to explore the intersection of Indian and Western musical traditions through familiar sounds presented in exciting new ways. The evening has been organized in cooperation with The Diasporadics - a not-for-profit organization committed to showcasing the work of emerging South Asian artists who explore and advance themes of progressive social and political change. The organization, which has organized similar evenings for New York University and the Asia Society in Manhattan, recognizes that art can be used to promote progressive change by challenging prevailing mores of class, gender, race, sexuality, nationality, and religion. Artists include: Raeshem Nijhon was greatly influenced by Bharatnatyam and the sounds of Motown and hip-hop. She began to fuse these diverse influences, creating an eclectic mix of contemporary "attitude" and classical style in dance. She continues to dance, while attending the Tisch School of the Arts for Film at NYU and is working on a documentary about South Asian hip-hop artists. Kalikut Root is grounded in South Asian traditions and branching far beyond, combining tabla and nattuvangam rhythms with performance sculpture, ethereal vocals, volatile spoken word, and soulful movement. Featuring Gayathri Arumugham and Sunonda Samaddar in traditional and interpretative dance, Tenzin Sherpa and Alka Bhargava in classical and semi-classical vocals, Yamini Nayar in spoken word, and Sejal Shah on tabla, Kalikut Root creates a uniquely hypnotic experience. Vijai Nathan mortified her parents five years ago by giving up a career in journalism, canceling her wedding, and becoming a stand-up comedienne! Her irreverent humor springs from her experiences of growing up as a "foreigner" in America- despite the fact she was born and raised in a suburb of Washington DC. Much of her stand-up comedy is about growing up as an Indian in America, cultural clashes with her parents, and the racism she's dealt with as a child and now as a comedienne (sounds heavy-but it's really very funny.) Nathan breaks taboos as she takes the audience through her personal experiences: growing up Indian in a Jewish community; her discovery of sex in a repressed Hindu household; and how she found herself along the way. Rez Abasi, jazz guitarist, keeps improvised jazz as his primary form of expression while delving into the traditions of other cultures to inform his musical vision. Schooled at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, and the beneficiary of a tutorial under the master percussionist, Alia Rakha, Rez has synthesized his Indian/Pakistani roots and southern California upbringing into a unique hybrid sound The renowned critic Bill Milkowski has written of Rez's work that "his unpredictable phrasing and accomplished writing are what sets him apart from hordes of other technically adept plectorists". Tickets $12 for RAC members, $15 for non-members, $8 for students and seniors. For information and reservations call (914) 967-0700 X24. The Rye Arts Center • 51 Milton Road • Rye, NY 10580 |
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