Calling all the Women Artists Around the World, Tantidhatri – The Science of Shakti

This too I feel in my bones and in my soul, the season of the Sacred Feminine, the Shakti is upon us, bringing with it a return to a simpler, natural, life-centered ethos that puts people and the environment above money and things….

Come January 15, 2019, Kolkata will experience a gush of the Divine Feminine rising in the much awaited Tantidhatri Festival, which is a playground for women artists from across the world to perform on one stage depicting pathos, joy, pride, questioning and a plethora of deep-rooted emotions and experiences that every artist holds within their unique being. The 2019 edition of Tantidhatri is all about energy, or Shakti, which is equivalent to the word Feminine. Seated deep within, the manifestation of the Feminine in each one of us calls for care, nurture, raging passion for self and a grandeur pride at being vulnerable, yet powerful, fluid yet composed at the same time. In an age drowned deep in technology, what is amiss is the subtle connection within the feminine in all of us, which expresses itself through our bodies, our emotions, and our artistic manifestations. Tantidhatri 2019 is a clear call to revere and witness this feminine – the Shakti.

The galaxy of artists who will perform on stage is composed of masters of every art form, who have worked their way out in the society and expressed their calling for the feminine through the classical performance mastered through years of hard work and deep devotion.

From exponents of Baul to religious iconography and cultural history, from the classic forms of dance and drama from across the world to the mystical dance forms of ancient India, the stage will be on fire as various artists will ignite the stage with their energy, their expression of life intermingled with the spiritual and metaphysical principles of the cosmos.

Hiranyagarbha or The Golden Womb – an act; Death is Feeling Lonely – an act; Blend of Baul & Puppetry; Mudiyettu – the fiery dance depicting the battle of Goddess Kali &Darika; What I didn’t Say – an Act; Seeds of Memory – a tribute to Argentina’s missing people; Bhav Sangeet - invoking devotion; Pandavani – a folk form; Two Madonnas – exploring feminine iconography of Mexican Catholic tradition and Indian Goddess Kali; Seducere – an act to depict the sacred power of Perfume; Voice of Women echoed in Korean Pansori – a form of vocal tradition; Perchance – A dream from Serbia; White Bird – a folk tale from Japan; Tamask – a poignant talk of a woman with her fetus; DasaMahavidya – an Indo-Italian dance collaboration; Longing for a Rose – a musical offering from France; Black Hole – an act depicting a journey into astrophysics intertwined with personal narratives of love, loss; Unweaving Ina from Chile – a personal story telling;  Songs of Women Saint poets; Cassandra, an Italian dance form, the collection of performances is a scientifically designed experience journey that guarantees transformative moments and resolution of questionings, doubts that we harbor in our heart in the human journey.

Performances blended with workshops will act as laboratories that will help structure personal inquiry into one’s self in the presence of the master artists who have ingrained in them the learnings of their lives, relationships expressed through the art form that they possess.

An apt start to the New Year, Tantidhatri 2019 will leave one and all mesmerized, enriched and boundless as a human being.

It is the right experience for artists, thinkers, scientists, academicians, students, housewives, techies and men and women alike.

Dates: Jan 15 to Jan 20, 2019

Time: Master Classes ( 9:30 Am- 1PM ), Performances- 3:30 PM-8:30 PM

Venue: Rabindra Tirtha, New  Town, Kolkata.