Welcome to Chaturangan's home page

Chaturangan is a development initiative for South Asian Dance in the North West. Chaturangan initiates and supports the development of South Asian dance – from the popular to the spiritual – to make an impact on the social and cultural fabric of the North West of England. The Artistic Director of Chaturangan is Bisakha Sarker. Vision Chaturangan will work towards increasing the scope for South Asian dance in performance, education, training and community initiatives. Chaturangan will address the training needs of artists to ensure high quality artistic output. Chaturangan will influence the insurgence of energy to create a greater visibility in the mainstream of South Asian dance in the region and beyond. See elsewhere for a more formal statement of our aims and objectives and comments made by groups we have worked for. Chaturangan is proud to be a key part of Liverpool's Capital of Culture programme in 2008. This website gives information about upcoming events.

Bisakha meeting the Queen during a visit to the Waiting project Photo © Liverpool Echo

Landmark initiatives

transition

transition was a two-day conference investigating heritage through dance
held in partnership with Sampad and the National Museums Liverpool
7th & 8th March 2008 at the World Museum Liverpool

Nationally acclaimed Artistic Director, Bisakha Sarker, presented a full programme of events with thought provoking lectures and challenging debates. Taking dance as its focal point this two day conference explored and examined what heritage means in today's society.

For an archive of conference information, see here.

The conference was managed by the Aspire Trust Ltd. Email Aspire Trust

2006 was designated "Year of Performance" by Liverpool Culture Company as part of the build-up to the Liverpool European Capital of Culture 2008. In response to this, Chaturangan ran a conference entitled Marks of time in partnership with Hope University. The conference explored appropriate performance practice in advancing years, and was held on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th January 2007.

"The Marks of Time conference was a great success. We had over 80 participants as well as many performers, and the event was inspirational for all concerned. The highlight was the performance by Bisakha Sarker on the Friday evening, with musical accompaniment by Chris Davies. A few phrases from the conference will remain in my memory: "Brightness of Life"; "Add life to years as well as years to life". Thanks to all of Chaturangan and Aspire Trust for the work they put into the organisation. " - Eric Foxley

For the conference schedule and an archive of conference information click here.

For links to some of the submitted papers click here.

Videos from the conference can be found at the Marks Of Time blog - www.marksoftime.blogspot.com.

All 13 of the Marks Of Time 2007 performances are now archived as a set of 3 DVDs. For more details contact marksoftime@luden.co.uk .

Arts in Health

Waiting A project in conjunction with Liverpool Primary Care Trust. Chaturangan has provided a creative approach responding to the differing needs of people in ‘waiting’ settings. We worked with artists experienced in working sensitively with people in different situations. The first phase of the project comprised six sessions in different in six different situations (for example a hospital ward, a clinic, a hospice and a patient support group) and the making of a film "Precious" by Gina Czarnecki suitable for showing in waiting rooms. The second phase will focus on the mental health area, and the development of an interactive installation of the film "Precious". The film was shown by the Liverpool Culture Company at the UK Public Health Conference at the Echo Arena in Liverpool in April 2008.

The full Waiting project was delivered by Fact, Comedy Trust and Chaturangan. Liverpool Culture Company has produced a "coffee-table" book summing up the work of the whole project, and distributed it to all GP surgeries in Liverpool.

Warrington film project for residential homes
Warrington Borough Council commissioned Bisakha to create an exercise video suitable for use in residential home, and dance groups for the over-50s. As part of the project Chris Davis and Bisakha worked in residential homes and with local mature dance groups. There will be four films, three suitable for chair-based exercise and one for more mobile participants. The emphasis is on creativity. The films will be webcast when ready.

Dignity
Bisakha provided a one-day workshop for "The Place" theatre.The project looked at working with older people in hospitals.

Blythe House Day Hospice.
See here for details of Chaturangan's performance at Blythe House Day Hospice in Buxton.

Sacred Move

2004 was celebrated as year of "Faith in one City"by Liverpool Culture Company. In response Chaturangan produced "Sacred Move", a soulful production of new dance, live music and spoken words. Chaturangan has created an initiative that celebrates Liverpool’s diverse cultural and devotional heritage. The first two performances took place in Liverpool's two cathedrals in 2004. In 2005, Liverpool Culture Company's "Year of the Sea", Chaturangan toured "Across the Sea", a programme of extensive community projects together with a performance of "Sacred Move" to Cork (European Capital of Culture 2005). In January 2007, at the invitation of Liverpool Culture Company, Chaturangan performed "Sacred Move" at the St George's Hall, Liverpool to launch their cultural programme for 2007.

Dance of the Night Sky

This is a Planetarium show based on an ancient Indian myth about the origin of the Plough, the Pleiades and the double stars Alcar and Mizar.

It was produced as a collaboration between Bisakha Sarker, William Radice, Arun Ghosh, Dan Soul and Kali Dass.

The installation was shown every Sunday afternoon through 2006 and 2007 at the Planetarium.

Future projects

A different tune

Chatarungan, in partnership with "Fuse" are planning to produce a children's performance with an extensive outreachg programme. "A Different Tune" will imaginatively and innovatively relate through a dance, drama and music fusion the story of how a monkey– ostracised by other animals discovers his own new way of dancing and through that finds self esteem and acceptance without having to compromise his own identity. A Different Tune will combine dance forms such as Chinese, African, South Asian, break dancing and contemporary styles. Featuring four performers and live music, this unique piece will use an environmental staging that wraps around the audience and will draw on new technologies (Isadora software), to create a magical experience for children and families.

In association with this project we are holding a one-day conference in early June. The conference will be in partnership with Fact and will consider how children’s work and festivals are applying new technology and addressing cultural diversity nationally.

"A different tune" will be available for touring from Summer 2009.

Earlier projects

Jersey Educational Tour Inter-Cultural dialogue - 29th April to 3rd May 2008

Worksheet for Jersey

Following the success of their previous tour of Jersey, Bisakha Sarker and Kali Dass were invited to deliver another week-long education project. The work concentrated on teacher training so that local teachers were enabled to continue the work to promote cultural diversity. This programme involved over 100 teachers from 22 primary schools. Each of the training sessions included an introduction to the basics of Indian dance and storyletting for education, familiarisation with the worksheets and a practical session. In the practical sessions the teachers observed us working with the children, and received some hands-on training. One of these sessions was exclusively focussed on the training of parent mentors. In addition Jersey Arts centre invited Chaturangan to run two workshops open to the public.

StoryFest took place on Sunday 19th November in partnership with Liverpool Community Spirit. One of a series of StoryFest events was held on 17th September at Liverpool Wellbeing Centre. More details and a summary of the day are on-line.

"Stargazing" - Watch here for further details!

"Everybody counts" - This is an education project in three Huyton schools based on poems by Levi Tafari. Watch here for further details!

"From here to Diversity" - Watch here for further details!

"Creative Partnership" at Tor Views Special School - Watch here for further details!

Other Chaturangan activities

Chaturangan appeared at all the 2006 major party conferences on the Liverpool stand

As part of Tagore Study Day at the British Museum, London on 14th October, Bisakha was invited to perform "The Song of the City". This is based on Tagore's peom "Nagar Sangeet" translated by William Radice.

On 30th September Chaturangan presented "Shift" at a national meeting of the SPA (Small Practice Association). "Shift" is a programme of dance, music and poetry reflecting current trends in South Asian Dance, performed by Levi Tafari, Arun Ghosh, Kali Dass and Sri Sarker.

Chaturangan arranged dance performances for the Foundation for Black Housing Organisations, Ashworth Hospital and the Cornerstone Festival in Liverpool.

Our work is supported by, among others

Experimental slide shows for Cork Sacred Move and PIP Workshop

Website at Chaturangan.co.uk
Page last updated 04-Jan-2010 - Comments on the website welcome by Eric Foxley at the Dunkirk Arts Centre
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Eric also manages web sites for British Button Society, Foresters, Freds Folks, Greenwood, Grant Publisher, King Billy Sessions Young Folk and the Dunkirk Arts Centre .