PARVATHY BAUL at XO STATE
Breathtaking master singer, instrumentalist, painter and storyteller, Parvathy Baul, is one of the leading exponents of Baul sung poetry, music and dance. Baul is a stunning ancient spiritual tradition that originated from the Bengal region of India and is the confluence of many other sacred traditions including Vaishnavism, Tantric, Sufism and Siddha.
Celebrating the lineage of the great Sufis and mystics, Parvathy Baul returns to Melbourne (following a hugely popular debut at Supersense Festival in 2015) with a group of master musicians and storytellers. 15 different sacred instruments accompany sung poetry while audiences witness the unravelling of intricate Alpona
(mandala) motifs awash with symbolism and spiritual meaning – an art form practiced by almost every rural Bengali household.
Each element of the durational performance is a unique display of ancient devotional forms of spiritual transcendence. Audiences are welcome to enter and exit at any time throughout the durational performance.
Parvathy Baul is part of the DAYLIGHT program at XO STATE – a new performance club at Arts Centre Melbourne’s State Theatre, created for the inaugural Asia TOPA Festival.
Feedback/Comments
Beautiful performances and interesting cultural experience, really enjoyed the afternoon
Fantastic event. We stayed for over 4 hours. The music was wonderful. And the pairing by the artists added to the mood of the event.
Really enjoyed this show. Very long (almost 5 hours) but not too great a challenge to sit still and watch the whole thing, which says a lot! Spiritual, transcendant, it took me to a menatal space that no other show has taken me too! A wonderful privilege to have been present. Thankyou to the performers who all excelled in there craft!
Very entertaining.
Really enjoyable performance, and admired how good the performers were at their craft.
Seating with no back support meant I could only stay 3 hrs.
This was an amazing hypnotic show. Just brilliant just the whole collaboration of artists and highlighting traditions that are becoming extinct. Loved this performance.
A beautiful immersive experience. Loved the way the theatre was set up to embrace the audience close to the performers. We were able to relax on cushions and simply enjoy the sounds and colours. Such wonderful talent.
It was an interesting to experience Indian culture.
Loved every second, thank you.
Great show, amazing colours and sounds
Amazing performances even to one who does not understand the culture.
Visual and audio experience
Fascinating experience although I did not manage to stay till the end.