Telling stories through dance dramas is a tradition that goes back some 500 years in the region of North East India known as Assam. The stories, telling of Krishna and his exploits are retold at festivals each year using dance combined with masks and music and elaborate costume at the monasteries. The dances practised by the monks have been recognised as a distinct artform known as Sattriya dance.
Georgie Pope has studied literally at the feet of the monks at Majuli Island in Assam for her PhD research at King’s College, London and she will be giving two introductory workshops on Saturday 29 July, one for beginners, the other for those with some experience of dance (of any kind!). The workshops, open to all ages, give a very special opportunity to learn some positions which form the basic grammar of this unique dance form and put together a short dance. This is a fantastic opportunity to try a form of Indian dance, with its own unique Assamese style.
The workshops take place at The Drill Hall, Chepstow on July 29. The Beginners Workshop takes place from 11am – 12 and is £5 while the Dancers workshop for those with experience of any dance takes place between 2-4pm and is £10
Georgie will also host Stories and Steps at 7.30pm that evening and give a demonstration of Sattriya dance and talk about this very special art form, its origins and its continued practice today, and Megan Lloyd, storyteller and herself a practitioner of classical Indian dance will tell some of the Krishna tales that are embodied in the dances. Stories and Steps promises to be a beautiful as well as intriguing event.
These events are being staged in association with the exhibition ‘Hidden in the Lining, Krishna in the Garden of Assam – the tales of two textiles’
Tickets are £7/ £5 concessions, to book places on the dance workshops and tickets for the performance contact Chepstow Museum 01291 625981