Jalsa Comes to the Alvina Krause Theatre

Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble and Bengal Association of Bloomsburg Area jointly present Jalsa, an evening of Indian/Bengali classical instrumental music and dance at 8:00 pm on Saturday, August 4 at the Alvina Krause Theatre in downtown Bloomsburg. Tickets are $11 for adults, $6 for children and available by calling BTE’s Box Office at (570) 784-8181 or toll free (800) 282-0283.

Artists from Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts (BIPA) in New York City will perform at the event. One of the main attractions of the event is the performance of Morshed Khan’s sitar. Morshed Khan is one of the most renowned young sitar players in North Indian music. He hails from one of India’s most illustrious musical families, Maihar Gharana. Great maestros of our time, such as Pundit Ravi Shanker and Ustad Ali Akber Khan belong to this gharana. Morshed Khan flowered also under the tutelage of his uncle, Ustad Aashish Khan, son of Ustad Ali Akber Khan. His first public performance was at the age of 11. He has participated in many prestigious music conferences and festivals all over the Indian sub-continent, and later in the USA and Europe, and received numerous international awards.

Khan appeared in ABC’s famous talk show ‘Good Morning America’ and HBO’s ‘Sex and the City’. He had a live interview session along with his solo recital in Indian cable TV -ITV, Channel 77 and TV Asia in North America. He performed in private parties given by actress Joan Rivers and designer Tommy Hilfiger. In 1996 he performed in the opening party of Aerosmith’s CD ‘Nine Lives’.

Morshed Khan will be playing several ragas. Indian classical music is always set in raga. Ra-ga (”Raga” is literally “color” or “mood”) refers to melodic modes used in Indian classical music. In Indian music, a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is founded. Raga may also denote a particular melody. In the Indian musical tradition, ragas are held to evoke particular “moods” and metaphorically “color” the experience of the listener and are often performed to correspond and resonate with a season or time of day.

With him, Tapan Modok will be playing tabla (sitar always accompanies tabla, double hand drums) Tapan Modak is a well known and versatile tabla player. He has performed throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and South America. Tapan Modak had accompanied many well known artists such as: Ustad Khurshid Khan (Sitar), Ustad Ashish Khan (Sarod), Manna Dey (Vocal), Ustad Salamat Ali Khan. He also accompanied with many western groups and has CDs with Reggie Workman Celebrate, Caverns and Jeome Van Rossup Diplomatic Immunity. Also, Tapan Modok will be playing tabla stream, a magical performance of dialogue between tablas played with his son Shajeeb.

The second segment will be a dance performance by Annie Ferdous and her troupe. Annie Ferdous is a celebrated choreographer, teacher, performer, and co-founder of Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts (BIPA). She studied Bharatnatyam, Kathak and Monipuri classical dances at a very young age. Her success at blending classical dance forms with modern and folk dances is commended by both critics and dance lovers. An elegant and skillful choreographer, Annie has choreographed more than 15 musical plays in New York since 2004. She has performed around the globe spanning Bangladesh Television, England, France, Canada and all over the USA. Over the past twelve years, hundreds of students have received lessons by Annie Ferdous at the BIPA School and have performed at numerous community and mainstream functions in New York and other areas of the United States including Ellis Island, the United Nations, at China Town and Union Square for the Columbus Day Parade in Manhattan, at the Asian American Heritage Month, American Museum of Natural History and Queens Library, New York Public Library, the City University of New York and Bloomsburg University.

Also Shoba Kumar, a celebrated artist of Mohininatyam will perform at the event. It is the dance of Mohini, the celestial enchantress of Hindu mythology. Mohiniyattam is the female classical solo dance of Kerala, India. Noted for its wide swinging steps, Mohiniyattam reminds one of palm fronds, moving gently and gracefully in a breeze. Bringing to life the eclectic shades of feminine beauty is the accomplished Mohiniyattam proponent Shoba Kumar.

Kumar started her dance training at the age of six. She participated in several competitions and youth festivals. Kumar has also given performances in different parts of the country for the last 15 years. She performs Mohiniyattam, Bharathanatyam, Kathakali and Folk dances.

Tickets for the show are $11.00 for adults and $6.00 for children. Tickets are available at the Alvina Krause Theatre in Downtown Bloomsburg. The Box Office can be reached at 800-282-0283 or 784-8181.

There will be an open reception at Artspace Gallery after the show, where audience members will have the opportunity to speak with the performers.

This project was supported by the Columbia County Board of Commissioners; David Kovach, William Soberick and Chris Young. The County Commissioner Tourism Fund is administered by the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau. For additional information Contact the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau at 800-847-4810 or visit at www.iTourColumbiaMontour.com.