RAKTI- A Multi-sensorial Dance- Music- Live Works. ft.Dr. Swarnamalya x Anjana Rajagopalan

Rakti is a collaboration between Dr Swarnamalya x Anjana Rajagopalan x Bonny Abraham x Meissam Alinaghiyan
It is a collaboration with pleasure as a cultural resource. Pleasure seeking, which in our times often translates to frittering away one’s time, the pursuit of idle nothingness, in the 17th Deccani world was a social disposition. To train the mind through a cosmopolitan education replete with lessons in akhlaq (ethical living), Sharia jurisprudence, developing a searching mind for ilm- knowledge, philosophy, science, poetry, mathematics, languages, music, painting and dance.
Through the prism of the 21st century, pre-modern history is made to look like a prologue to today, - punctuated by religious conflict, and with great awareness of only their differences. But the fact is their interaction with the wider world was not through strife and conflict but through poetry and music. Languages and the networks that were formed between people who spoke them across borders, allowed for encounters that for us is almost unthinkable in today's political contexts. Religion was not the phenomenon upon which people operated. Who was Hindu, who Muslim, who was African, Catholic, Jew, Spanish, English, did not seem to be their pre -occupation.
RAKTI is a Multi sensorial Live performance which will tease your senses with dance, music, smells, taste (food) and much more.
Premiered at The Serendipity Arts Festival 2023 to a FULL HOUSE, Rakti Is ready to tour the world.
🌈 Concept and Performance: Dr. Swarnamalya
🎵 Music Composition and Vocals: Anjana Rajagopalan
🪕 Oud: Bonny Abraham
🎻 Kemençe: Meissem Alinaghiyan (Iran)
🎨 Visual Design: Vetri, Theatre Akku
👗 Costume, Stage Visuals: Radhika Ganesh
💡 Lighting Design: Charles B
Show Reel Editing and Creatives: Padmasani Iyengar (co-performer)
Co- Performer (Theatre): Nivedita Ravi
Camera works: Anurag Singh

[@beenasarwar]

Looks amazing, so creative, thought provoking, well researched and well presented.

[@khaartoumsings]

The singing is extraordinary early on...Lovely stuff ; )