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| Bhava: A Door to Union  Public Programs at California Institute of Integral Studies presents Zakir Hussain (see photo), Antonia Minnecola, and special guests in an evening of contemporary and classical Indian music, Bhava: A Door to Union, on December 1, at San Francisco's Herbst Theatre. At the heart of India's classical performing arts is bhava, the Sanskrit word "to become." It is the expression of emotions and states that leads us to the experience of union. Bhava is the portal to that moment when the connection between artist and audience becomes real. Bhava: A Door to Union includes special guests Vince Delgado, George Brooks, Molly Holm, Tommy Kesecker, Dana Pandey, Emam, and Michael Lewis, among others.Zakir Hussain is one of India's most renowned classical tabla virtuosos and a favorite accompanist to many of India's greatest musicians and dancers, such as Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar. He has been credited as a chief architect of the world music movement due to his prodigious and historic collaborations, including Shakti, Remember Shakti, The Diga Rhythm Band, Planet Drum, and Masters of Percussion. The foremost disciple of his legendary father, Ustad Allarakha, Zakir was a child prodigy who began his professional career at 12 and toured internationally with great success by 18. He has received many awards and honors: Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Kalidas Samman, the 1999 National Heritage Fellowship Award, the Bay Area Isadora Duncan Award, and a Best World Music Album Grammy in 1991 for Planet Drum. As a composer and music director (film scores and commissions include Little Buddha, In Custody, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, Mystic Masseur, Saaz, Apocalypse Now), Zakir's accomplishments also include original scores for YoYo Ma's Silk Road project with Mark Morris, Alonzo King's Lines Ballet, and most recently, the Triple Concerto for Banjo, Bass, and Tabla for the gala opening of the Schermerhorn Symphony Hall in Nashville. Antonia Minnecola, one of few American artists recognized as a serious exponent of Kathak dance, is the student of Sitara Devi, who many consider today's greatest female Kathak dancer and with whom Antonia has studied under the auspices of two Smithsonian Fellowships. Twice a recipient of the Marin Arts Council Individual Artist Grants for Choreography, Antonia began her training in Kathak with Pandit Chitresh Das at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, where she also studied classical Hindustani music with the great maestro, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. At the time, she undertook a serious study of taal, the rhythmic science of Indian performing arts, with Ustad Allarakha. Antonia has appeared in India, the United States, and Canada in major festivals and tours, such as the Bay Area's Other Minds Festival, The World Drum Festival, Asian Pacific Performing Arts Festival, Percussion Currents Festival, San Francisco Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, the Auckland Festival, and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. Additionally, she has performed and toured with husband Zakir Hussain's ensembles, Masters of Percussion and The Rhythm Experience, and taught many Kathak workshops and master classes. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |