NATIONAL10 [RELIGION (Spotlight Weelky)]

Fusion Of Cultures

A Spanish-Nepalese combination captivates the audience

By AKSHAY SHARMA

Flamenco Dance & Music
Venue: Mul Chowk, Baber Mahal Revisited
Date: Thursday, November 23

Latin, Gypsy or Spanish-style songs are not new to our ears. And neither is the concept of fusion of two cultures through music.

"The most powerful weapon you can own is an open heart. And the most powerful instrument you can be is an instrument of peace," Carlos Santana once said.

Flamenco dancer : Masterful display

"We have been promoting art and culture for some time, although we hardly make any money," Pramila Pande, director of Infinity International, told SPOTLIGHT. "People just come to us now for events like this. Now we are attracting people from all over the world."

The evening began with 'Flamenco Dance' by T. Kusano, accompanied on Classical Flamenco Guitar by Jin Oki, which turned out to be a superb combination. The concerto turned out to be a blend of cultures.

Oki's silver string spun on the guitars, with Man Raj adding beats with his tabla and Kusano dancing to the flamenco. "It sounded like a master at work with his tools. I never heard flamenco with the tabla," said audience member Maria, who is from Spain.

Flamencos are Spanish, particularly Andalusian, songs (cante flamenco), with various sub-types named after districts, such as Malgue'na and Sevillana.

Flamenco is often danced to the strumming rhythm of guitars. The term is properly applied only to songs of more recent origin.

According to Arthur Jacobs Dictionary of Music, the guitar is a plucked, a fretted stringed instrument which originated from Spain to other countries and, therefore, sometimes called the Spanish guitar.

The audience automatically became captivated by the magic of gypsy songs and rapturous Spanish dance. The event was followed by a choice of Spanish cuisine.

Infinity International presented the charity event for Maiti Nepal and Sathi.

During the program, there were recitals of three poems written by Garcia Corsa. "Carmen is dancing through the streets of Sevilla. Her traces are white and her pupils gleaming. Girls shut the curtains! In her head a yellow serpent is coiling up, and she dreams about dancing with suitors from days gone by. Girls, shut the curtains! The streets are deserted and Andulusian hearts in search of ancient thorns are detected in the background. Girls, shut the curtains." The poem was translated during the evening from Spanish by Sangeeta Thapa of the Siddhartha Art Gallery.

Chris Masand, speaking to SPOTLIGHT, said, "The band is really good. We only rehearsed for five days." The faces of people who attended the concert reflected an enchanted spell cast by the band.

Jin Oki's guitar held a subtle yet forceful style of 'flamenco' guitar playing, which indicated techniques different from the classical style.

"You can listen to this song, which is so similar to Nepalese music," said Masand as the band prepared to give their last performance.

The evening ended with eastern music presented by Masand ( keyboard), Manose Singh (flute), Man Raj (tabla), and Chand (kangas) who fused their tunes with Spanish sound.

As the artistes laid down their instruments, they received a wide applause.

Colorful Showcase

Siddhartha Art Gallery displays a vivid range of artistic richness

By AKSHAY SHARMA

Siddhartha Art Gallery presented an exhibition called "The Celestial Gallery", based on the book by Ian Baker and Romio Shrestha, from November 15 to 23 in Kathmandu. The exhibition was inaugurated on November 15 by Martin Palmer, Chinese scholar and author of "The Jesus Sutras", who is secretary-general of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation.

The event coincided with the World-Wide Fund for Nature's annual conference in Kathmandu. The show was open to the public from November 16 to 23.

The Gallery launched two books by Ian Baker, "The Celestial Gallery" and "Paintings from the Secret Temple of the Dalai Lama."

A collection of Keetup Thangkas (appliquÈ), based on the paintings from "The Secret Temple of the Dalai Lama" was exhibited by three artists from Amdo Reko in Northern Tibet.

Lee Birch, an American artist, and her Belumbhu Woodcarvers presented their latest "museum-quality" carvings.

The Gallery also hosted "The Heritage of the Chitrakars" -- a showcase of paintings from the Malla period to the Rana era when some Chitrakars were sent to England after Jung Bahadur Rana's London visit. Lok Chitrakar exhibited his 'paubha' paintings.

The eminent Nepalese painter, scholar and author, Lain Singh Bangdel, presented his book "Stolen Images of Nepal" at the function.

Bob van Grezenbroek, a Dutch expert on Tibetan art, exhibited some unique pieces from his private collection of Tibetan carpets, furniture and textiles.