Monsoon Mehfil: An Intimate Celebration of India’s Music and Dance July 14, 2007

Sangeet Millennium presents Monsoon Mehfil: An Intimate Celebration of India’s Music and Dance, at the Carver Cultural Center Auditorium. This multisensory evening will present a variety of classical North Indian performing arts. Featured are Kathak dance, with delicate gestures, vigorous footwork, and flamboyant spins; vocal music, whose melodies enhance the mood; the music of two string instruments, the lustrous sitar and the soulful sarangi; and the percussion music of tabla, the heartbeat of the dancer’s art.

The concert features respected Kathak dancer Janaki Patrik, sarangi maestro Pandit Ramesh Misra, and upcoming vocalist Mitali Bhawmick, all based in New York City, collaborating with Houston-based tabla master Shantilal Shah and Austin sitarist Amie Maciszewski. The return of dancer Patrik to Austin will provide the opportunity to see a beautiful dance style infrequently presented in Austin, enhanced by a team of expert musicians. Kathak is the dance style that lore claims was taken by the gypsies to Spain, where it evolved into flamenco. The evening will begin with a tabla solo performance by Anurag Shah, the 13 year old son of tabla maestro Shantilal Shah.

The evocative artistry will be heightened further by media artist ms. Mars’ video projections of Indian miniature paintings known as Ragamala. These colorful, lively images were created by Indian painters between the 16th and 18th centuries to depict the moods evoked by the various melodic types known as raga. At this event, the Ragamala images will be those associated with the monsoon.

Tickets: $50 (VIP—includes reserved seating and afterparty featuring a musician’s jam and catered dinner at a private residence), $20 (door), $15 (advance), $12 (students, seniors, artists), available at Sulekha.com and TexasPerforms.com (474-TIXS/8497)

Official Website: http://www.sangeetmillennium.org