Rhythms of Resistance: A Parai-Natyam Performance for an Inclusive Society
SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2024 AT 2:00PM TO 5:00PM
JALOPY THEATRE
315 Columbia Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Along with partners Dalit Solidarity Forum USA, Hindus for Human Rights, and the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America, and with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts, Artistic Freedom Initiative (AFI) is proud to co-host this unique Indian drumming and dance event in Brooklyn. This performance brings together master parai (South Indian frame drum) artist, Aasan Manimaran with Bharatanatyam dancer Dr. Prathiba Batley accompanied by drummers from the diasporic Tamil community.
For the first time, AFI as an organization is addressing the millennia-old dynamics of casteism that impact access to and the hierarchical valuation of art across South Asia. Where Bharatanatyam - as with many other classical South Asian art forms - is dominated by the privileged caste and considered pure, the parai has been associated with pollution and delegated as an outcaste duty. Since the 1990s, however, the drum and drummers have become the emblem of the Dalit Liberation Movement in Tamil Nadu. The pairing of parai and Bharatanatyam (Parai-Natyam) by these artists is an intentional exploration of dialogue and unity.
The underlying message of this performance is one of human and artistic equity through the lens of anti-caste activism as it is understood in both South India and the United States. After the performance, we will have a community conversation about the relationship between casteism and racism in America. The event will close with a participatory workshop led by Manimaran.
Join us for AFI's first Brooklyn-based event of 2024, and participate in a conversation about historical discrimination, creative sustainability of hereditary arts and artists, and pathways to equity and liberation.
Link for Tickets: $20 advanced, $25 at the door.
https://www.viewcy.com/e/rhythms_of_resistance
About the Artists
Aasan Manimaran
Hereditary Parai Artist, India
Aasan Manimaran is a hereditary folk musician, author, poet, and film studio artist based in Chennai. As an expert parai drummer, he has conducted over 1500 trainings in this unique art form and offers free parai classes to diverse populations of students every week in Chennai. Along with his sons, Manimaran recently performed parai for the sound track to Ava Duvernay's film Origin, a biographical film about Isabel Wilkerson and the inspirations behind her acclaimed 2020 book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. Since 2007, he has served as the leader of Buddhar Kalai Kuzhu, the renowned politically conscious parai ensemble from Chennai.
Prathiba Natesan Batley
Bharatanatyam Dancer, India/United States
A three-time Indian National Champion of Bharatanatyam and statistician Dr. Prathiba Natesan Batley is an international dancer with over 300 performances to her credit. Many of her productions highlight contemporary social and cultural issues while others underscore the intricacies of classical literature. She is producer and protagonist of the dance short films "Set Free" and "Dirty Secrets", choreographer of the Great Celestial Cow, and director/creator of productions such as Enticing Anklets (Konjum Salangai) and The Ballad of the Kuravanji. In 2012, she established Eyakkam (Movement) Dance Company a not-for-profit dance company based in Dallas, Texas.