Taalim Yatra: A Musical Journey
WHEN: October 9, 2022, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
WHERE: IM Gallery, 233 Raritan Ave, Highland Park, NJ 08904
ADMISSION:
Contact person: Mike Lukshis, 732-715-6546, info@taalimfoundation.org
Event Link: link.taalim.com/yatra
Headlining this concert will be the high-energy, contemporary Indian classical Tabla drum ensemble Talavya. Composed by Indian rhythm maestro Pandit Divyang Vakil, Talavya demonstrates the modern adaptability of classical Indian drumming, making the centuries-old art form of tabla accessible to all. The event will also feature traditional Indian classical Kathak dance performances by NJ-based Korean Kathak artist Jin Won and Cleveland-based Kathak artist Antara Datta. The performers will be accompanied by Abhik Mukherjee on sitar and Rohan Prabhudesai on harmonium.
About Talavya (Contemporary Classical Tabla Ensemble)
Global ambassadors for Indian
percussion, contemporary classical tabla ensemble Talavya is a leading example of
tradition and modernity coming together seamlessly.
Created by Indian rhythm maestro Pandit Divyang Vakil, the Indian hand-drums tabla comes to the center stage in the hands of the young, highly trained players of Talavya – a tabla ensemble that revels in the tablas’ hidden potency as a rhythmic and melodic instrument capable of expressing just about anything. This high-energy and dynamic percussion ensemble makes the centuries-old art form of tabla accessible to all.
Praised by the NY Times as “an
exuberant dancer whose musicality transform[s] her dancing into something
primal," dancer, percussionist and the artistic director of “Pradhanica
Dance and Music Company”, Jin Won is a one-of-a-kind artist in the field of Indian
performing arts who explores the sonic and visual possibilities of rhythm
through dance and music. An accomplished Kathak dancer and tabla player of
South Korean origin, she spent over 15 years in India training in Indian
classical percussion and dance under the tutelage of ‘Guruji’ Pandit Divyang
Vakil and Smt. Shubha Desai, respectively. During these artistically formative
years, Jin began working with renowned Indian choreographers, established
herself as a solo dancer, and performed internationally in countries such as
Belgium, Canada, and Korea.
Antara Datta started learning
Kathak at the tender age of five from Srimati Laxmi Bannerjee in Kolkata,
India. She holds a double diploma in Kathak from the Bangiya Sangeet Parishad
in Kolkata and the Prayag Sangeet Samiti in Allahabad, India. She received
advanced training in the Lucknow gharana of Kathak from “Sringar Mani" Srimati
Anuradha Nag (Artistic director of the Tarangini School of dance, San Jose,
California). To hone her skills further, Antara Datta has also received
training from Kathak maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj and Vidushi Saswati Sen,
during her annual trips to India at Kalashram, New Delhi. In addition, she
regularly visits Mahagami (a dance Gurukul in Aurangabad, India) to receive
intensive training from Guru Parwati Dutta. Antara receives Taal Vidya training
from Guruji, Pandit Divvang Vakil. Antara has performed extensively in both
India and abroad and is the Artistic Director of Anga Kala Kathak Academy and
Anga Kala Dance Company. She also serves as the President of Arts Without
Borders. Antara taught Kathak as an adjunct faculty in Cornish College of Arts
Seattle, WA in 2010, Kent State University Kent in Winter 2014, and University
of Akron, OH in Winter 2017.
Abhik Mukherjee is an Indian
classical sitar artist of the Etawah gharana known for his passion, charisma
and spontaneity as a performer and improviser. He received his musical training
from Pandit Arvind Parikh and Pandit Kashinath Mukherjee, themselves the
disciples of the legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan. He has performed and given
workshops in India, the United States, Singapore, Taiwan, Switzerland, Germany,
Italy, Denmark, Netherlands, Suriname, Colombia, Cuba and Argentina. He is a founding member of Brooklyn Raga
Massive a popular artist collective of NYC, and he is also the academic director
of Chhandayan, a leading Indian music school of the east coast.
Rohan has been studying
Hindustani and western classical music for the past 21 years and more recently,
jazz. In India, he started studying at the Goa Kala Academy and later with
Kedar Naphade, a senior disciple of Pt. Tulsidas Borkar.
He studied classical piano
with Edwin Lopez and Ron Thayer, music director of the Crescent Avenue
Presbyterian church music program. He studied composition at NYU Steinhardt and
contemporary classical composition at Charles University in Prague, Czech
Republic. For the last 5 years, he has been studying jazz with Fred Fischer in
Plainfield, NJ.
About the Organizer
Taalim Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization which allows the Taalim community based in New Jersey and New York City to provide quality performing arts and educational experiences to the local and broader communities around the USA. Formed in 2020 but stifled by the Covid-19 pandemic, the organization has resumed its activities in 2022 with renewed vigor to broaden the scope and accessibility of Indian performing arts.
