North America’s decade-old, internationally renowned arts festival of the South Asian diaspora will present the freshest Cultural-Art-Collision on June 18th to 20th 2010 at the venerable Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica. Grass-roots in nature, modern in form and collaborative in context, ArtWallah’s music, dance, performance, stand-up comedy, literature, poetry, and visual art dig deeply into ethnic roots to find its fusion in a uniquely American expressionism.

Co-presented by The South Asian Artists Collective and Highways, the tenth anniversary festival celebrates the theme of “Afterlife” with a presentation of original artist collaborations and multi-disciplinary performance – and an engaging children’s program for families.

EVENING SHOW PERFORMANCES

Artist performances in the 2010 festival evening show co-directed by Shishir Kurup and Sheetal Gandhi include:

THE PIECES – Through dance, music, and live body art, Achinta S. McDaniel’s premiere of The Pieces tells a young girl’s tragic story, exploring dreams, doppelgangers and alternate realities through live performance by blue13 dance company, with music by Tej Gill and the late Chris Webb. Art design and live painting by Ahrong Kim.

GUL (FLOWER) – Raw, expressive, painted style computer animation is scored with masterful Sindhi Folk music from the villages of Pakistan in this award-winning short film by Adnan Hussein. Gul, a young girl, is awakened by her mother’s dying breath. She struggles to recall her past. A child’s view illustrates conflicts between abuse, self determination, human rights, and the environment. Her world manifests through visual poetry.

MAMTA – Interdisciplinary dance and theater artists Shyamala Moorty and Sheetal Gandhi collaborate on a theater and dance portrait of a quirky 62 year-old South Asian woman whose fantastical world full of Kings and Queens, coconuts, and a fear of corn chips, transforms as she peers through a soda bottle into a Bollywood style re-imagining of her own past. Visual art by Yatin Parkhani.

REBIRTH – A DUET OF PROSE AND MUSIC – Critically acclaimed author and filmmaker Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla (Ode to Lata, The Two Krishnas) and sarod player and vocalist Shaheen Sheik (Buddha Bar XII) present a reading from Dhalla’s forthcoming book, “The Two Krishnas” to a poignant music improvisation.

BEFORE – A poem by Bhargavi Mandava and a drawing by Mark Sylbert simultaneously unfold and converge as they explore the intersections of identity in time before and after a student’s suicide.

FADE TO INFINITY – Best-selling author Shilpa Agarwal (“Haunting Bombay”) and author Natashia Deon explore how the lives of mothers and daughters are impacted by the violent politics of men, including the Partition of India and American slavery. Agarwal and Deon spin a story of love, betrayal, and survival to an original score composed by Juhi Bansal. Musical accompaniment by Colm O Riain on violin and Anand Dika on tablas.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS – Sheetal Gandhi and Cynthia Lee explore the notion of reincarnation through interactive media and contemporary dance. Working with a time-delay video capture technology, manipulated live by multi-media artist Jesse Gilbert, the performers engage in movement confrontations with their past selves. Music composed by Ellen Reid.

CREMATION! – In a lighthearted comedic song, Rasika Mathur explores the ancient custom of cremation from a curious and uplifting perspective. Her original song “Cremation” is one of her many expressions from her debut musical comedy album, “The Sari (W)rap” to be released this year by Rukus Avenue.

CHILDREN’S PROGRAM
On Sunday afternoon from 1 to 4pm children’s events will run include:

YOGA/COMEDY IMPROV WORKSHOP – A 45-minute class for kids aged 4-10 exploring movement, yoga, creativity and imagination with improvisational techniques such as trusting yourself and group games. Taught by Rasika Mathur.

BOLLYWOOD BHANGRA DANCE CLASS – Dance class for children by Achinta S. McDaniel of blue13 dance company. Ages 6+ are encouraged to join in the fun: learning the basics of Bhangra and Bollywood, with an emphasis on choreography.

CRY AMERICA’S MY VISION CAMPAIGN – CRY (Child Rights and You) America’s presents a creative platform for children to express their vision of a just world through paintings, poems and essays. Arts and craft supplies will be provided.

GALLERY EXHIBIT
The Highways gallery will feature THUMS UP N UP, an installation re-purposing Indian soda bottles into objects with critical and playful meanings. A vessel whose function is over can enjoy freedom, while a vessel is similarly thought of as a container for the soul. The installation by Yatin Parkhani explores that intersection and touches upon different forms of consumption — all ultimately satiating humans needs.