Previous manasamitra News
2007 Diwali Celebrations at the YSP…
30/05/07
Our first Diwali at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park was a fantastic day for the whole family. The day started with dance workshops in the Underground Gallery. The informal space provided a chance for the audience to learn the dances and have a question and answer session with the performers. There was also a colourful Indian crafts workshop in which participants painted traditional clay diyas and rangoli patterns.
The day was wrapped up with a wonderful performance by Marwa, lead by Birmingham based composer and musician Manveer Singh. The performance took you on a musical and visual journey with the use of projections, lighting and specially composed music, of Singh’s everyday walk through the heart of Birmingham city center. It was a fascinating incite into the world of a visually impaired musician.
Bhuvi Arts
30/05/07
Bhuvi translates as heaven of heavens from Sanskrit which is the oldest recorded language in the world.....we are launching a new excting workshop programme for schools. BHUVI is a complete visual, sensory and performance experience for children of all ages 3 and above.....
Fusion Art
24/05/07
mananasamitra will be running a series of abstract fine art workshops for young women in the community, exploring hte synergy of emotions and colour, there are spaces still available, so please get in touch.
Bollywood music workshops
24/05/07
Another exciting new project begins in July; this will assist hopeful singers develop their musical talent, helping them to learn how to write, compose and present Indian film music.
Folk Dance Workshops
23/05/07
Come and learn how Rajasthani desert tunes vary from folk dance by fisherman of Kerala..a series of folk music and dance workshops led by Manasamitra's artists...you can also sample puppet theatre from India.
The Yorkshire Sculpture Park Series
22/05/07
Following the successes of the two pilot concerts at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park earlier this year, manasamitra and Yorkshire Sculpture Park will be presenting a number of concerts on the 2nd Sunday of every month.
The first in this series will feature Samay; a unique collective of musicians exploring new ways of understanding and making music. Taking the traditional music of India as a base for constructing original arrangements and improvisation as well as using their previous experience in jazz and various world folk styles the musicians create a distinctive sound so far unknown to the western or eastern world.
The second in this series on the 8th of July and will be featuring an afternoon of contemporary fusion by Vivek Rajagopalan from India . Vivek belongs to the new genre of musicians whose exciting compositions combine the world flavours into an Indian context...
This series of concerts will be free to attendees, so take this opportunity to witness some excellent upcoming talent.
Previous News
IIFA Awards related fun
22/05/07
Manasamitra will be taking part in all kinds of activities leading up the to the IFFA awards, have a look through the calender of events below:
7th June - Film Premiere at Xscape
manasamitra will be providing an evening of both classical and contemporary Indian dance and music entertainment for the guests attending a premiere of a new Bollywood film at the Xscape cinema in Castleford.
8th June - Yorkshire Fashion Show at the National Railway Museum, York
An enchanting evening of glitter and glamour...Fashion show at the National Railway Museum in York where the Creme de la Creme of Yorkshire will gather together to enjoy a stunning display of fashion and entertainment from famous designers. The show will combine eastern traditions with western chic...
8th - 29th June - Art inspired by Bollywood at the Yorkshire Art Space, Sheffield
Kamaljeet Ajimal and Shameela Hussain will be exhibiting at the Yorkshire Art Space in Sheffield.
Kamaljeet will be presenting painting inspired by the songs and music from the great classic that is Baiju Bawra, a story of heartache, romance, revenge, love and indian classical music.
Shameela takes her inspiration from the works of Mirza Ghalib, a poet who lived in India in the 18th Century. Many of his poems have been adapted into Bollywood movies producing some stunning musicals in the 1930's and 40's.
9th June - Wakefield Mela
Wakefield's Clarence Park is hosting a "feast of entertainment" on Saturday 9 June, according to the town's district council. The Mela - A Cultural Celebration of Wakefield District, will include various forms of entertainment and stalls where different food can be bought. South Asian culture with a Yorkshire twist is promised and the event will involve traditional Asian music and dancing, as well as performances from the Wakefield Metropolitan Brass Band. Other attractions include Bollywood and fusion dance classes, crafts stalls, a circus workshop and many more musical showcases. The day, which will help celebrate Yorkshire hosting the International Indian Film Academy Awards for the first time, lasts from 12:00pm until 7:00pm. Look out for manasamitra at the mela.
BBC Big Blast in Preston
21/05/2007
The young people of Preston were treated to an afternoon of Bollywood moves by our resident artist Sharanya within a very vibrant art atmoshphere.
York Mini Mela
08/05/2007
An exciting fun filled day showcasing Bollywood music, dance and folk traditions form India... York residents got a complete India experience as there were stalls selling Indian artifacts and food stalls preparing and serving hot Indian delights. The highlight were the stunning Bollywood dances on stage . At one point the entire audience participated in learning and grooving to Bollywood tunes which was an amazing thing to watch...
Sura-vara-vandhita and Tarang...
04/04/2007
manasamitra is presenting a double-header, a Yagshagana performance about the feats of valour of Lord Krishna, the blue skinned mythological Indian god by the excellent young dancer Devika Rao; she will be followed by Tarang.
Tarang is the National South Asian Music Ensemble and comprises of musicians in both the North and South Indian Classical Music forms. This exciting bunch of musicians are part of an intiative to aid young musicians from the UK to attain a world standing.
Bombay Jayashri came to Yorkshire
27/04/2007
Bombay Jayashri, one of the most sought after Carnatic vocalists in the world graced West Yorkshire with her presence at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The sell-out crowd were given a very intimate performance and the memories of this recital will live long in the minds of those who were lucky enough to attend
View some images of the concert
A Dance of Cultures
6/03/2007
Dancing, Dancing and more dancing, check out the pictures...
View A Dance of Cultures Showcase images
Bollywood Retro Parade
20/02/2007
A delightful night with wonderful food and music; Bollywood Retro Parade was a great success, attended by a large audience and the Lord Mayor of Leeds!
View "Bollywood Retro Parade" photogallery
Sweet Santoor
11/12/2006
Starting with an old story about a king's wish to learn how to sculpt, Kamaljeet captivated a capacity crowd in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park's auditorium from start to finish. The story was told to explain the link between her paintings that were exhibited in the background and her music.
The audience enjoyed the north indian classical music recital, delivered in Kamaljeet's own individual style.
View "Sweet Santoor" photogallery
The Serenest of Singing
27/11/2006
Accompanied by the master drummer RN Prakash and the excellent violinist Dr Joytsna Srikanth, manasamitra's very own Supriya Nagarajan gave a wonderful performanace the first of a series of concerts at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
A very laid back audience enjoyed a number of songs about the Mythological Lord Krishna, the delightful melodies attracted unknowing visitors to the auditorium for a welcome surprise.
View "Serene Singing" photogallery
Watch clip of the concert on youtube
Art Experience at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
25/09/2006
manasamitra have teamed up with Yorkshire Sculpture Park to give a musical and visual art experience. Art lovers will be able to experience the lush surroundings of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, view the different sculptures dotted around the grounds, the installations in underground art gallery and listen to some wonderful South Asian music. To top it off, there is free admission to the two events taking place on the 25th November and 9th December.
Soothing Saxaphone...
17/07/2006
Jesse Bannister provided a spellbinding performance for the crowd gathered at the Dewsbury Little Theatre; accompanied by the excellent tabla player "Bhupinder Singh Chaggar," the two musicians showcased some beautiful ragas, intricate passages of play and a very welcome passion for their music.
The first half consisted of a solo performance from Jesse and Bhupinder, in second half they were joined by guitarist Guiliano Moderelli who provided a different sound and texture to the proceedings. For the final piece the three musicians were joined on stage by manasamitra's very own Supriya Nagarajan on vocals!
View "Raga Deep - "Scintillating Santoor" photogallery
Scintillating Santoor...
03/07/2006
Kamaljeet Ajimal, disciple of Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma delighted the audience of the Dewsbury Little Theatre. She transported them to the lush, etheral Himalayan mountains, through her rendition of two beautiful evening ragas, Yaman and Sohini.
After the defeat of England in the world cup, Kamaljeet, Upneet (her tabla player) and Sukhmani (tanpura) lifted the spirits of the listeners back to happiness and bliss with spellbinding melody, soothing notes and impeccable rhythm.
Upneet Singh, student of Pandit Sharda Sahai; provided excellent accompaniment throughout the night, but also gave the audience a short tabla solo to showcase his skills.
View "Raga Deep - "Scintillating Santoor" photogallery
Nirupama-Rajendra delight Cleckheaton
03/06/2006
With the help of their dance troupe, Nirupama and Rajendra gave a memorable performance that will be not long forgotten by the assembled masses.
Colourful, charming, full of energy and extremely happy to perform, the audience were left with a wonderful feeling after the perofrmance.
View "Basant Bahar" photogallery
Amazing performance by Mythili Prakash
25/04/2006
Mythili Prakash danced her way into the hearts of the audience present at her Bharatanatyam performance at Batley Town Hall. A tantalising display of technique, emotional content, coupled with a wonderful set of accompanying musicians.
Kirklees International Womens Day a success
27/03/2006
International Women's Day was organised by the Kirklees Council in conjunction with QT Creative based in Huddersfield It was a celebration of the empowerment of women. The event held at Dewsbury Town Hall on Saturday 25th of March included various stalls selling clothes and accessories, stalls offering henna, aromatherapy and beauty options for women. There was also a gala celebration in the main hall from 1 pm to 4 pm. Manasamitra were part of the festivities. We had been working for over three weeks with four schools in the area and prepared the children to perform one dance piece each. The dance items were set to Indian fusion music and one Bollywood piece and the participating schools were Westborough High School, Hartshead Junior and Infant School, Spring Grove school and West Moor Junior school from around Kirklees. It was a wonderful experience to see the children and parents from various schools all gathered together to celebrate the day. The lady Mayoress Margaret Fearnley and MP Shahid Malik were among those present.
Rachel Wild from the Community Cohesion team from Kirklees Council, who was instrumental in putting the project together, said she was ‘delighted with how successful the event and the school project had been.’
Raga Deep Concert Series announced
22/03/2006
Raga Deep - a three concert series featuring talented young artists from Britain to be held on 1st, 8th and 15th of July.concerts are free and all are welcome to attend. Details of venues to follow.
Kirklees International Womens Day
20/03/2006
International Women's Day is being organised by the Kirklees Council and is a celebration of the empowerment of women. The event is to be held at Dewsbury Town Hall on Saturday 25th of March and includes various stalls selling clothes and accessories, stalls offering henna, aromatherapy and beauty options for women. There is also going to be a gala celebration in the main hall from 1 pm to 4 pm. Manasamitra are taking part in this. We have been working for over three weeks with four schools in the area and prepared the children to perform one dance piece each. The dance will be set to Indian fusion music and one Bollywood piece and the participating schools are Westborough High School, hartshead Junior school. Spring Grove school and West Moor junior school from around Kirklees. It will be a wonderful experience to see the children and parents from various schools all gathered together to celebrate the day.
MANASAMITRA ARE PROUD TO BE SELCTED TO CARRY OUT THE PROJECT THAT BRINGS TOGETHER VARIOUS SCHOOLS IN KIRKLEES UNDER ONE ROOF.
Manasamitra selected by the Arts Council as creative practitioners
15/03/2006
Manasamitra have been selected by the Arts Council as Creative Practitioners for creative partnerships in Burnley, Hull and Sheffield.
Rang Dhwani a resounding success
15/01/2006
"Rang Dhvani", Manasamitra's first major show was a resounding success. Tickets were sold out in advance. The audience had a great time listening to the wonderful music and enjoying the delicious food.
