PO Box 268992, Chicago, IL 60626
Bhaktapur is the last surviving example of the kind of city once characteristic of archaic civilizations. Its status in the world is unique. It is home to 79 traditional annual events, danced, sung, played, and acted out by Bhaktapur's citizen performers. This inhabited city functions like a living mandala, a festive calendar that is performed over the year. Bhaktapur is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Nepal and the greater Himalaya are a treasure trove of ancient dances, intangible cultural assets of the highest order, and a codex of ancient knowledge. This project shines a new spotlight on this overlooked cultural wealth .
Throughout the world, traditional and ancient dances are endangered. Bhaktapur sets a standard of world excellence in the preservation of architecture and ancient ritual arts as well as a dignified approach to tourism. The world is starved for examples of both. The Festival of Ancient Dance in Bhaktapur extends the protective powers of the city and, by means of this Festival and accompanying activities, offers sanctuary to ancient dances from throughout Nepal, and the Himalaya region including Bhutan, Sikkim, Tibet, Ladakh, Kashmir, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and ultimately evolve into an event renowned for rare performances.
The first year, groups of traditional dancers from throughout Nepal are selected and documented by the most modern technologies. Research is collected in the form of oral histories and interviews. The dances will then be gathered together and transposed for a grand collective event in Bhakatpur. Performances are carefully and beautifully designed to occur throughout the public squares.
The festival is scheduled in harmony with Bhaktapur's other events, with an eye toward developing a new infrastructure and a new, eco-cultural tourism in Nepal. Indigenous Nepali industries of TV, film and internet have new opportunities for content and development. Special arrangements for performers, guests, tourists and locals make the event an attention-worthy example of dignified global tourism, as well be a driving force in the widespread understanding of ancient arts. Performers have the chance to meet and interact with one another, offer workshops and experience Bhaktapur. Dancers have the opportunity to collaborate with recognized specialists in dance, new media and eco-technologies.
A symposium on ancient performance is convened, featuring prominent artists, scholars, business and religious leaders, focusing on the place of ancient arts in the modern world. Arts management, pedagogy and documentation are advanced. Tourist and education strategies emerge in harmony with the integrity of the ancient forms. Ecological and economical new technologies have a chance to prove their value.
The Festival features ultra-modern technology in the service of the ancient forms, making use of digital capabilities such as motion-capture, virtual reality, the internet and DVD media. Bhaktapur will become home to the Digital Library of Ancient Dance, adding another treasure to be used by many. For the first time, based on these ancient living examples, we can reveal to the world more fully the essence of what dancing is.
The Festival features a harmonious coupling of ancient dance and modern technology consistent with the dignity and spirit of the ancient performers participating. Global TV coverage joins the internet and print media in popularizing the new event. Books, videotapes and CD-Roms can be produced for profit. The multi-faceted character of the Festival appeals to many: the traditional as well as those inclined to the experimental. The accuracy available to new technologies brings forward a welcome authenticity and a new breed of scholarship as vital as the subject matter.
Autumn 2001-2002 |
Initial research and planning for all-Nepal festival |
Autumn 2002-2003 |
Organization and preparation for all-Nepal festival |
Autumn 2003 |
First Festival of Ancient Dance |
Autumn 2003-2004 |
Initial research and planning for all-Himalaya festival |
Autumn 2004-2005 |
Organization and preparation for all-Himalaya festival |
Autumn 2005 |
Second Festival of Ancient Dance |
Built upon success in these efforts, future festivals could evolve in many exciting ways, cultivating Bhaktapur as a location for rare performances, and resulting in economic benefit to Nepal while enhancing its reputation for world leadership in dignified cultural preservation
The Festival of Ancient Dance Bhaktapur is produced by:
The Heritage Group of Bhaktapur, Om Charan Amatya, Executive Chairman
Joseph Houseal, CEO, Parnassus Productions, USA
In collaboration with:
Nepal Tourism Board
Royal Nepal Academy
Graham Daniels, Addictive TV, London
Christopher Hannan, SOHO Virtual Reality, New York
Robert Michael Smith, New York Institute of Technology
The Heritage Group ( THG) will
Houseal will:
Nepal Tourism Board ( NTB) will:
Royal Nepal Academy ( RNA ) will:
Gerard Houghton, Institute of Ecotechnics, London will:
Graham Daniels, Addictive TV, London will:
Christopher Daniels, SOHO Virtual Reality, New York will:
Robert Michael Smith, New York Institute of Technology will:
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