 "World Sacred Spirit Festival")
For someone who has never been to India, French Guianese tap dancer Tamango believes he'll fit right in, "like fish in water." The country's culture is replete with rhythms, and tap dancing is all about being one with the rhythm, he explains.
Known for stellar theatrical performances, which have included elements such as dry ice on stage, Tamango's maiden trip to India will see him performing at the ninth edition of the World Sacred Spirit Festival (WSSF) at Jodhpur's Mehrangarh Fort on February 26, when the sun has set and the fort is bathed in the ethereal glow of a thousand candles.
"Tap dancing has a lot of history; it arose as a reaction to slavery, when people's hands were taken away and foot-tapping became a dance expression," says Tamango. "Take that history, and add Rajasthan's history and setting to it and I know it's just going to be amazing."
Joining Tamango at the three-day festival are a host of celebrated names, including sarod master Amjad Ali Khan, who will be accompanied by his sons, Amaan and Ayaan.
This edition's highlights also include Kabul's Daud Khan Sadozai, who comes with his 17-string Afghan rubab, and Spanish flamenco artist Andres Marín.
While Tamango connects to India's rhythms, Marin's love for Rajasthan's cultural heritage is well known. "Though flamenco has evolved with its contact with European music, the dance form has stayed true to its primary bases - the very ones that continue to be an integral part of Rajasthan's traditions," says Marín. This year around, his radical yet aesthetic dance style will be accompanied by traditional Rajasthani music by the globetrotting Divana Yatra ensemble.
"We have performers from across the globe and they bring with them a unique understanding of music that is central to their own experiences," says Karni Singh Jasol, director of the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, which powers the annual festival. With such a mix, he elaborates, the idea is to intermingle different musical practices to create "a unique sound that is the soul of the entire festival".
But before the festivities take off in Jodhpur, the small town of Nagaur will host WSSF between February 22 and 24 at the Ahhichatragarh Fort - this one promises to be a more intimate experience. WSSF, which began in Nagaur in 2008, saw its first Jodhpur edition in 2011. With Nagaur being a significant centre of the Chishtiya Sufi movement, it's only fitting to continue a tradition of Sufi music in Nagaur, adds Jasol. The move to add Jodhpur as a venue was to reach out to a wider audience, he explains.
Bringing Sufiana kalam to WSSF will be Delhi-based artist and musician Deveshi Sahgal, who fondly remembers the days when she was part of the "wider audience" Jasol refers to. It was many moons ago, and Sufi mystic Abida Parveen had just taken the stage. "Her performance, her voice ... it completely changed me," says Sahgal, who began learning Hindustani classical music when she was four but picked up the guitar and formed a western music band when she was 16. Much has changed since then.
"I got drawn to Sufi music after listening to Parveen. Hindustani classical has strict guidelines, but Sufi music is all about breaking barriers - you don't need religion to put you in touch with a higher power when you have Sufi music," says Sahgal, adding that festivals such as these help reach out to newer audiences.
While you are at WSSF, do catch Egypt's Sufi legend Sheikh Yasin al-Tuhami in action. He adds the soul to a wholesome experience.
When: February 22-24 and February 26-28
Where: Ahhichatragarh Fort, Nagaur, and Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur
