Delhi International Arts Festival 2012

The 6th Edition of Delhi International Arts Festival, India’s Signature Festival is back this year from Oct 27- Nov 10th. Organized by Prasiddha Foundation and ICCR , the 6th Edition of DIAF would witness performances from 30 countries including Pakistan, Hungry, Bangladesh, Czech / Poland, Turkey / Iran, Greece and different parts of India to name a few; showcasing varied forms of art and culture to enthral people.

Over the years DIAF has evolved as an Institution of divine art and culture. Nearly a million people were touched by the Delhi International Arts Festival in its very first year. DIAF in a way is a cogent tool for cultural diplomacy and cultural tourism. 

Conceived by Ms. Prathibha Prahlad, an exponent of Bharatnatyam dance DIAF’s significance lies in its vast canvas with gems from over 30 Countries organized at a very magnificent level. Stretched over 15 days all over Delhi and NCR , the 6th edition of DIAF would witness Dance, Theatre, Music, Drama, Magic show, Puppet show and Exhibitions. Performances would be a blendof traditional to contemporary, Classical, fusion, world to contemporary music and dance– both Indian and Western; contemporary theatre, cinema festivals on artistes, literature and Delhi, visual arts, comedy, puppet; DIAF has everything in one platform.

As the largest Multi Arts Multi Venue Festival, organised annually, it aims at establishing India as a global destination for the arts and at driving cultural tourism into India. After successfully organising five editions of this festival, the 6th Edition with all its fervour is back to buzz the city with its exemplary display of powerful performances by international & Indian artists.

Performance Highlights –
Scintillating performance by Sufi singers from India, Pakistan, Iran & Turkey; Dazzling Jazz groups from Norway & India; Flaggers – Storici Sbandieratori Delle Contrade Di Cori from Italy; Procession by Grammy award winning ‘Buddhist Mahakala Sacred Chants’ from Palpung Sherbling Monastery; Maya Dance Theatre in traditional dance form from Singapore.

India’s greatest Festival ushers in winter to rejoice, appreciate and applaud thousands of performers who will enrich our lives.

Scottish Dance Theatre from UK; the National Dance Company from Scotland; Israel’s famous Cameri Theatre; India’s Rattan Thiyam’s Chorus Repertory Theatre; Indonesia’s Stkip Pasundan; ‘Mr. Pejo’s Wandering Dolls from St. Petersburg, Russia; The King Dies from Estonia; The Family Bandwagon from Slovak; Singapore’s Maya Dance; The Wife of a Cobbler from Bangladesh; Lying But Honestly from India and many more to count.

Luis Montoto’s Karromato – The Wooden Circus by Czech Republic bringing Puppets to DIAF 2012 to worth watching.

Experience the Stampede of Flamenco dance by Eva Yerebeuna and a theatre performance The Killing of Dussana, an adaptation of Mahabharata through a contemporary fusion of Flamenco & Kathakali from Spain.

Prasiddha Dance Repertory from Bangalore; Shankara Nanda Kalashetra & Ananda Shankar Jayant and group (NAVARASA) from Hyderabad; Ileana Citaristi and group from Odisha; Kanaka Sudhakar & group from Delhi; Sunanda Banerjee & group from Delhi.

Arnab Bhattacharyan on SAROD from Kolkata; Sahana Banerjee on SITAR from Pune; Lokesh Anand on SHENNAI from Lucknow; Anupriya Deotale on VIOLIN from Delhi; Danish Ali on VIOLIN from Delhi; Deepak Shah on Classical Piano from Mumbai; Prasanna Brothers on FLUTE from Delhi. 

Showcasing “Talking to God in the Mother Tongue” with India’s famous classical arts. Dance performances by Kiran Segal/Odissi, Lakshmi Vishwananthan/Bharatanatyam, Vanashree Rao/ Kuchipudi, Prathibha Prahlad/Bharatanatyam, Rani Khanam/Kathak, Dr. Sandhya Pureccha/ Bharatanatyam, Saswati Sen/Kathak & Revathi Ramachandran/Bharatanatyam.

Music performances by Shameem Azad/Sufi Music, Parvathy Baul/Sufi, Bombay Jayashri/ C.Vocal, M. S. Sheela/C. Vocal, Meeta Pandit/H. Vocal & Arati Ankalikar/ H. Vocal.

Suryaveer Hooja from EHSAAS; Tony Fernandes from JJHOOM; Tritha from TRITHA ELECTRIC; Rishi Dutta from RISHI INC; Anupriya Deotale & group from the band PARINDAY; TRIZIA featuring Darshan Singh and ARBA MUSIC by Immanuddin Khan from Jasalmer.

Hafeez Ahmed Alvi & group, TAALVADYA and Niranjan Rao & group, TALA SCIENCE from Delhi.

Sufi, Qawwali, Ghazals and more –
Indira Naik, a Classical Sufi from Mumbai; Ateeq Hussain Bandanwazi representing Bandanwazi Qawwals from Hyderabad
India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey….

Australia – The Pilbara Project and Maamungun: Compatriots showcasing the works of Nicole Foreshew, Jonathan Jones & Michael Riley.

V4 countries tying up together – Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic & Slovak bring a variety of performances and visual arts exhibitions and cuisine to DIAF, 2012.

Maladype, Toe Te, Felix from Hungary, Jazz groups from Czech & Poland and theatre groups from Slovak & Estonia for the first time in India.