A third edition of the Contemporary Arts Week 2015 brings 120 performances, and 300 artistes to Delhi. Growing in scope each year, the event scheduled for the week of October 3 - 10, 2015, is ready to host performances at 45 venues around the city this time around. The Contemporary Arts Week, organized by the NGO group Friends of Art, is a performing arts festival spanning the fields of music, dance, photography, theatre, short films, puppetry, clowning, improve theatre, open mic, spoken word and also some visual arts. It opens this year with an art and food carnival at Nehru Park on October 3 and 4.On the festival schedule this year is “Amaara”, a contemporary dance production presented by Navdhara India Dance Company; electronic act Bandish Projekt; and an Indo-Spanish production “Under the Poplars”, amongst various other performances at venues such as Select City Walk, DLF Promenade, Summer House Café, Akshara Theatre and Delhi University North Campus. Festival director Shohini Dutta, a dancer and choreographer herself, jointly runs this initiative with entrepreneur Pankaj Bajaj.Dutta, director of non-profit organization Friends of Art, speaks about the upcoming event:How has the event evolved since it debuted in 2013?Over the three years the lineup has grown from concentrating on dance, music, visual arts and photography to having theatre, puppetry, clowning, slam poetry, improv theatre, stand-up, street art, installations and more. The festival has seen a real expansion in sub genres in each form, and each year we have tried to include more.Each year we learn from our audience response and try to introduce interesting elements in the program. The street dance battle at the beginning of this year’s festival was conceptualized because of the tremendous response we got for Art Street that was held in February.It is a multi art, multi venue festival that attempts to act as a bridge between artists and audiences. The audience response from the first year has been one of the most encouraging factors for expanding our scope. What took us by surprise was how welcoming and curious the audience has been. The numbers almost doubled in the last two years and this year we project an attendance of more than 30,000 people. What are the highlights of this year’s festival? Which are the most exciting performances that audiences can look forward to at the Contemporary Arts Week 2015.As a festival director, it is really like choosing between children. I would say I am excited about the opening weekend simply because it’s the first time we are attempting something on this scale. The weekend is planned like an arts carnival in Nehru Park, with multiple stages in the open garden, food stalls, DIY corners, and workshops – something for the entire family. Out aim is to try and incorporate art into people’s everyday life. How does this event distinguish itself from the various other festivals/ events these days that feature music, dance, theatre?I would say the festival is looking at creating a holistic space/ purview for all performing arts, not for a specific genre like a music festival, or a dance festival would do. We feel that audiences that like theatre or dance or music can very well enjoy other arts and it comes down to providing them with options they can explore. What is the thought behind spreading the event across various venues in the city?One of the most common complaints you get from people is that the traffic and the distances in the city dissuade them from attending many events. So with this festival, we have tried to tackle this problem, by spreading our venues across the Delhi NCR region, and also extending performances to clubs. That is also why the event lasts a whole week. We really want to make it convenient and accessible to a wide range of people.Which were the most successful performances over the last two years?Music and dance acts are definitely very popular, however we witnessed the clowning and slam poetry performances getting a great response last year.Seeing as Delhi is such a culturally rich city, there is immense potential for an event such as this. What’s stopping this festival from acquiring heavy-duty theatre, music and other artiste names on its lineup?The idea behind the festival program is to have a mix of established as well as fresh talent. We try to balance the heavyweights in each genre by featuring a range of upcoming artistes. The future of the arts depends on encouraging new artistes. Also, not many platforms exist for independent artistes, so that is something we focus on.Could you elaborate on the Arts in Education and Art in the Neighborhood programs that your organization runs?‘Art in Education’ and ‘Art in the Neighborhood’ are both endeavors of our organization Friends of ART. They run through the year in collaboration with educational institutions and RWA (Delhi colonies) communities. With ‘ART in Education’, the objective is to introduce a creative approach to education and learning, with the aid of theatre, music, dance, etc. to develop a child’s creativity, logic, individuality and opinion. ‘Art in the Neighborhood’ is aimed at takings arts into a geographical community and promoting artists from within that area, almost like an introduction to the artist in your community. We have organized two successful events where the community centers were turned into mini festival venues. We also recently introduced another version of the ‘Art in the Neighborhood’ program called ‘Art Street’ that is held in public spaces such as malls or open-air venues or amphitheaters. Follow @ARTINFOIndia
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