Dear Friends,
We woke up early this morning to prepare ourselves for our performance at the TANA FEST (3 Nov, 2023), of Kyotanabe City. When we reached this small city of the Kyoto Prefecture, we found that the grounds were already set for a Japanese Mela of sorts, replete with food trucks and booths for all kinds of Japanese handicrafts, sundry food stations and promotions.
After checking the stage which was ingeniously designed from a large truck, the dancers busied themselves with their preparation.
Quickly soon, I found myself with the Kyotanabe Mayor and Indian Consul General, Shri Nikhilesh Giri being whisked off to be part of the morning opening parade for the TANA FEST.
We marched behind a bizarre, blaring jazzy brassband comprised of not less than 60 young musicians playing recognisable tunes from Poca Hontas and Disney On Parade!
Once the opening parade was over, we went back to the stage and was impressed that the audience were already sitting in hot sun to watch the show.
There were several student-performances before us. And as expected, Sutra dancers created a strong impression among the crowds with their exotic Odissi costumes and excellent dancing.
It was a unique experience for Sutra dancers who had never performed during a Mela, certainly not in Japan but we were happy to be able to reach out to so many Japanese people who would otherwise not see an Odissi performance.
Sutra