Music & Culture eNewsletter

MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERE: MUSICAL SUNLIGHT FROM SARA TAVARES

Sara Tavares (Portugal/Cape Verde) "Ponto de Luz" The luminous Sara Tavares is back with a statement about the sanctuary she finds within herself.  "A speck of inner light ablaze in the soul leads me on to the freeing of my body and the achievement of inner peace Like the sun ever shining behind the clouds" The video is a reflection of the lyric, using stop action to create a sense of dreamtime, and the sound of Sara's voice could sooth the most jangled nerves.

ON THE BLOG: THE CONTINUING ADVENTURES OF NATION BEAT

One of the first interviews we posted on the the music blog was with drummer and bandleader Scott Kettner, about his Forro Brass Band project. He gave an entertaining and informative talk about maracatu, the distinctive rhythm from Northeastern Brazil. But he also made us promise to blog about Nation Beat, the band he created and has been working with for the past seven years. Turns out, it's a good story about what it means to be a working band in NYC and dealing with the marketing term "world music."

CINEMONDO: VANAJA

Vanaja (India/USA) Directed by Rajnesh Domalpalli 2007, 112 minutes Winner — Best Debut Film, 2007 Berlin International Film Festival In  India it is considered prestigious to be a patron of the arts, and for a household to have its own dancer in residence. When 14-year-old Vanaja is told by a fortune teller that she will be a great dancer, she presses her alcoholic father to get her a job with the local landowner, Rama Devi, who was once herself a great dancer. Her spunk and persistence touches the landlady's heart, and soon Vanaja becomes her prize pupil. But no matter how talented or smart Vanaja may be, she is still a low-caste servant, and when Rama Devi's son rapes and impregnates her, there is little sympathy or outrage to be found. Vanaja must negotiate a path for herself, and be strong. Filmed in the south Indian state of  Andhra Pradesh, Vanaja is a feast for the eyes. The all amateur cast's performance is remarkable and Mamatha Bhukya, who plays Vanaja, had to learn Kuchipudi dance for her role. Those sequences are mesmerizing, as they show a thematic progression from the dancer as lover to dancer as warrior, mirroring the interior life of Vanaja herself. “A film that touches the heartstrings as it brings home the cruel class distinctions that poison Indian society, Vanaja is more than a children’s film, despite revolving around a central character of 14. Its social message, linked to the story of a poor farm girl who aspires to be a dancer, never feels forced, and the moral issues it depicts are realistically complex.” - Deborah Young, Variety Airdates Saturday, August 15th 08:00 pm (PT) 11:00 pm (ET) Wednesday, August 19th 04:30 pm (PT) 07:30 pm (ET) Friday, August 21st 02:00 am (PT) 05:00 am (ET)

AFTER "VANAJA" SEE INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR RAJNESH DOMALPALLI

Rajnesh Domalpalli speaks with Cinemondo host Peter Scarlet about the making of "Vanaja." In particular, he discusses the difficult but rewarding task of working with non professional actors.  He also shares with us the process of habving the then fourteen your old main actress, Mamatha Bhukya, a non professional actor wth no previous dance expereiince, trained to perfect both the nuances of her character as well as the complex kuchipudi dance sequences she so effortlessl performed in the film. This interview is also streamed.

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