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The International Clown Festival- India is a gathering of world class talent from across the Globe. The first ever International Clown Festival in the history of India was held in 2010 and is scheduled to continue for years to come. The festival features clowns in stage shows as pantomimes, as jugglers, as magicians, as puppeteers, as acrobats, as bubble artists, as stilt walkers, as balloon sculptors, as face painters, and more. On this site you will find everything you wanted to know about the festival and clowns. Browse through the site, like us on face book and sign up to receive some exciting clown videos, and updates on the clown world. A special request to all visitors: please spread the word about the clown fest to all you know. We need sponsors and partners to bring quality entertainment to our families and less fortunate in India. November
Jazz has a suprizingly long history in Mongolia. Legend has it that first jazz artist to perform in Mongolia was an American working for the Ford Motor company in China who serviced the Mongolian market during the reign of the last Bogd Khan. The car dealer was also a jazz piano player and entertained at the Summer and Winter palaces for the Bogd Khan during his visits. In the middle of the century, the big-band of the then state circus used to swing larger dance halls on weekend evenings. During the cold war, most jazz music filtered in through Russia, where Mongolian artists learned the craft during their studies at music conservatories in Moscow and other major cities. It is some of these students who formed “Bayan Mongol Big Band of State Philharmonic” which in the late 1960s started performing, among others, light jazz arrangements. Yet, genuine In Ulaanbaatar young musicians buried under their blankets at night to listen to jazz on the Voice of America. Lucky few who got to personally visit the other side of the Wall were able to witness (and listen) jazz first-hand. Eventually, for lack of access to recordings and written music, the Mongolian bands disappeared and jazz faded into the background of the musical landscape.
Since Mongolia’s transition to democracy, musicians are free to listen to and perform any music they please, and jazz is becoming increasingly popular and available in the capital city, Ulaanbaatar. The oldest established jazz band, the Black and White Jazz Band, has been performing for over a decade. During the 1990s, jazz musicians still faced difficult challenges in trying to develop their form of this music. There was limited internet access and radio broadcasts were practically non-existent, except for what might be picked up on Radio Moscow or Voice of America on short-wave. Jazz recordings were difficult to find, with only a few occasionally appearing on the shelves of music stores. Written jazz music was almost totally unavailable.
Mongolian jazz musicians are dedicated, and a little help from friends goes a long way. Bob Bellows (piano/vocal, USA) first came to Mongolia in 1996, supported by the US Embassy, to teach jazz improvisation to the National Philharmonic Orchestra. It was then that he met Ganbat (piano/drums, Mongolia) and a lasting friendship was formed. Since 1998, Deb Rasmussen (vocals, Canada) carried in jazz recordings and written music for Mongolian musician friends. In the summer of 2001, these friends, along with three Mongolian jazz bands, came together at the White House Hotel Jazz Club for a night of jazz performances. In December 2002, a jazz benefit concert, supported by the Arts Council of Mongolia, raised the funds required to create Mongolia’s first-ever music listening library, the Jazz Listening Library at the University of Arts and Culture.
The very successful Giant Steppes International Jazz Festival in July 2004 was the next effort of this circle of jazz friends. Instrumental in the Giant Steppes success was once again the Arts Council of Mongolia. The Arts Council managed the marketing, fund raising and logistics of the Festival. Financial support from the US Embassy, the Teipai Trade and Economic Representative Office helped make the dream a reality and jazz music took to the air. The last three nights of July were devoted to jazz with performances at the Brauhaus restaurant, the National Opera Theatre and Rivers Sounds Live Music Club. Big bands, ensembles, instrumental soloists and vocalists dazzled sell-out crowds with their interpretations of standards, smooth jazz, fusion and original compositions. Featured artists included Khulan (vocals), Khishgee (vocals),Purevdorj (Puujee) with the Black and White Band, and Ganbat (drums/piano). International guests included Bob Bellows (USA), Debra Rasmussen (Canada) and Dima Tagan (Ukraine).
After the 2004 Giant Steppes Festival, the continued support of the Arts Council of Mongolia combined with new support from Mount Royal College in Calgary and the Music Department of the University of Saskatchewan allowed Ganbat to come to Canada for six weeks to study and practice jazz performance and composition. In addition to his more formal studies at Mount Royal College, he studied and played with the Northern Lights members Keith Smith (guitar), Bruce Petherick (piano), John Hyde (bass) and Robin Tufts (drums). In February 2005, Ganbat was featured in a concert with Northern Lights at the Beatniq Jazz and Social Club in Calgary.
Since Ganbat returned to Mongolia in 2005 (?), he focused his energies on his cherished dream of returning to music full time and devoting himself to playing and promoting jazz. The Giant Steppes of Jazz NGO was formed in the spring of 2006 with the objective of supporting the growth of the jazz audience in Mongolia and providing jazz education opportunities for local musicians. Organizing the Giant Steppes Jazz Festival every two years was one of the main activities of the NGO. In May 2006, Steve Tromans (jazz piano and composer, Britain) moved to Mongolia for a year to teach English. Through the Arts Council of Mongolia, he was able to contact Ganbat and they formed an immediate alliance. The Steve Tromans U-Bop Band, which included Ganbat and Andrew Colwell (double bass, USA), performed weekly at the Mealody Restaurant and Steve and Ganbat opened the Jazz Academy to teach jazz theory and performance. One of their first students was Purevsukh, pianist of A-Sound and Arga Bileg ethno jazz band.
  The Park’s New Festival began in 2007 replacing The Other Festival that had been launched in 1998 as an annual cultural event. The New Festival is an expression visual and the performing arts that include: theatre, dance, music, painting, sculpture and mime, without any limits and boundaries. The Founder and Artistic Director Ranvir Shah has created an event of diverse and thought provoking expressions that stimulate debate and discussion and through that creative dissonance, raise art and art forms to another new, higher level. http://www.theparksnewfestival.com/ September We are a premier Indian theatre group with its headquarters in Kolkata, West Bengal. Over the last 50 years we have played a proactive role in spreading theatrical activities in India through our performances primarily under the guidance of first Ajitesh Bandyopadhyay and then Rudraprasad Sengupta. Besides doing theatre on stage Nandikar is also into spreading theatre amongst the children and the youth. We regularly work with different schools, colleges, street children, marginalised children and corporate houses. The annual Nandikar National Theatre Festival is the biggest theatre carnival of Kolkata and one of the largest in the country as well. The festival provides a platform for the stalwarts and amateurs alike for not just participants from all over India, but also from the international arena. We regularly perform on invitation by international theatre organizations of UK, Canada, USA, Sweden, Germany, Bangladesh and many other countries. Most of our plays are in Bengali. Over the years Nandikar has become a symbol of an institution that works relentlessly for honest, thought-provoking, meaningful theatre. Most of our plays have achieved critical and mass acclaim in India and abroad. Among our current members Rudraprasad Sengupta and Swatilekha Sengupta are winners of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. With this rich cultural heritage in our DNA, we are always eager to find newer space for theatre in our community life. Old as a banyan tree, we still continuously strive to remain fresh as a seedling.
For seven consecutive years in November, theatre artists gather at Santichaiprakarn Park to attend Bangkok Theatre Festival, held to provide spaces for theatre people to create, show, and see, and show the potential of Thai artists. This year alike, Bangkok Theatre Festival 2008 will be showing numerous theatricals from local artists. Over 100 stage plays will be performed under the theme “Theatre Sparks Life”. The theme reflects the power of theatre in creating sparks in life in four dimensions; body, mind, society, and soul. Through the core elements of theatre, the actors and the story of the plays can create a spark in the lives of the audience member.
In January 2010 took place the first édition of FANG MAE KHONG international dance festival in Vientiane and Luang Prabang. 4O international professional and amateur artists will be gathered in 3 lao provinces. A rich and culturally wide program is being set up to participate in social and cultural development of the country through the Arts. Since 2008, LAO BANG FAI association and A’CORPS company have been working closely and have managed to mobilize young dancers to structure their activities into real and active dance groups in Vientiane, Savannakhet, Luang Prabang, Pakse and Thakhek. Today, these dance groups stage their shows in many cultural events in Lao, as well as during FANG MAE KHONG festival. The festival is the main event allowing them to meet international professional dancers and exchange on their dance techniques.
http://jclao.com/archives/ai1ec_event/fang-mekong-international-dance-festival-2
The Kathmandu Jazz Festival, or popularly known as “Jazzmandu,” which began in 2002 is an annual event organized by Upstairs Ideas Pvt. Ltd. The festival was founded by Chhedup Bomzan of The Jazz Upstairs Bar, and Navin Chettri, drummer and vocalist of Cadenza. Over the years, the Kathmandu Jazz Festival has successfully promoted jazz in Nepal and brought world-class musicians to audiences in Kathmandu. It enriches lives, promotes creativity, encourages the sharing of international sounds and ideas, pushes the limits and boundaries of musical expectations and nurtures the talents of Nepali musicians. Jazzmandu strives to make the music accessible to as many people as possible by actively including free shows, educational school programs and workshops.
http://www.jazzmandu.org/
October
Aarohan was founded in 1982 by a group of theatre workers. In Nepali, Aarohan means to climb. It also means performing space. We work to create a Nepali theatre movement. We perform proscenium theatre by Nepali playwrights and adapt foreign plays to the Nepali context. We have given training throughout the country, helping communities create their own theatre groups. We also perform Forum Theatre and train marginalised and oppressed people to use theatre as a weapon to improve their lives. In 2002, we founded Gurukul, Nepal’s first school of theatre. We believe that an indigenous theatre movement is both an alternative to a globalized consumer-oriented mass-media and a tool for empowering communities and individuals rendered marginal in modern Nepal. Nepal is a theatre of colors, rituals, and folklore. A theatre that evolved among the lived experience of peoples who cultivated fields in the lush plains in the south, tilled terraced valleys in the hills, and kept herds in the high mountains. Buddhist, Hindu, and indigenous rituals constantly provided energy for the the stage. For the past two decades, the Aarohan Theatre Group has celebrated this cultural dynamism. Our guiding principle has been that every voice has a place in this diverse country. This is reflected on our stage and in our audience. We have created highly artistic theatre for the proscenium and socially committed theatre for the streets and villages of our country. Our theatre is committed to creating a healthy, beautiful, honest and fearless society. With this vision Aarohan has established itself as one of the country’s most dynamic and respected cultural institutions. http://www.aarohantheatre.org.np/ November - December   The Seoul Fringe Festival, the most representative independent arts festival of Korea, will be held for its 14th year this year (2011) in the Hongdae area. The festival aims at presenting and supporting the indie culture of Hongdae that is in danger due to the rapid commercialization of the district. The festival showcases various artists and their works, exposing guests of all ages to new forms of cultural arts that are difficult to encounter during daily life in Hongdae. The 3 key components of the Seoul Fringe Festival are the artists, audience, and venue. The highly-supported BYOV (Bring Your Own Venue) system encourages artists to personally seek sites that compliment their works or performances, providing the audience with the opportunity to observe art in a new light. During the festival, cafes, clubs, and galleries in the Hongdae area will serve as a dynamic site for artists of varying fields to gather and experiment new methods of expressing their art. http://www.seoulfringe.net/ The annual Seoul Marginal Theatre Festival features contemporary theatre performances and discussions about contemporary issues. It offers a place for reflection and exploration within the context of the performing arts. The aim is move beyond any boundaries and to seek a new vision each edition based on an established theme. The festival serves as an experimental laboratory for national artists. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Seoul-Marginal-Theatre-Festival/129233320429543 The Seoul Performing Arts Festival, which takes place every fall in Seoul’s major performance spaces, is hosted by the HanPAC. It is mainly sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The festival is considered to be one of the leading performing arts festivals in the country. SPAF aims towards becoming the hub of performing arts in Asia by featuring outstanding works from both local and international artists in all genres including theater, dance, musicals, and multi-genre art. Furthermore, the Festival hopes to become an internationally leading example for contemporary performing arts and to further enhance Korea and Seoul’s global image by uniting the nation’s economic influence with its cultural strength. http://www.spaf.or.kr/ The Damascus Theatre Festival began in 1969 as a biennial festival that features international theatre companies and solo performers. The festival took a break in 1990 during the Gulf War and was reinstated in 2004. The program presents approximately 40 productions in multiple venues throughout Damascus. The international flavor of the festival features Arab or Middle Eastern countries alongside Italian, Swedish, and Swiss performers. In addition to the performances the organizers have included panel discussion to round out the experience. The Damascus film and theater festival takes place every year in Damascus, Syria. The Damascus film and theater festival aims at the projection of various national and international films from all over the world. The Damascus film and theater festival event is waited for throughout the year by the film and theater lovers in Syria. People and film makers from all over the world participate and come to the Damascus film and theater festival. The film festival Damascus is divided into various categories that project various types of films. The categories in the Damascus film festival under which the films are screened are the following:The eminent film makers and actors act as the jury of the Damascus film festival. The theater festival at Damascus hold a very important position in Damascus both politically and culturally. The theater festival Damascus is visited by numerous people in Syria who love acting on stage and the group of intellectuals in Syria. The festival present numerous dramas that are based on famous plays written by playwrights from all over the world. It holds a very important place in the society of Damascus. The abundant cultural heritage of Andong is attributed to the worth-oriented philosophy of the Andong people who have coped with numerous social changes and positively adapted to new cultural traditions. Hence, various elements of Oriental culture have flowed into Andong and been re-synthesized into the distinctive Andong way of life and culture. These socio-cultural, historical and religious heritages are the basis of the Maskdance Festival. We can learn quiet composure and mindfulness through understanding the significance of traditions through the excitement of the Mask dance. The Mask dance Festival is conscientious of our local heritage and the importance of sharing it with others. The Andong area has a variety of socio-historical and religious heritages from different periods, from ancient times to the present. Andong holds the largest number of cultural properties in Korea. It reveals a very vivid picture of the aesthetics and traditions of the Orient. We can find not only tangible cultural and historical heritages like ancient villages, but also many intangible cultural properties of the Andong tradition such as Cha-Jeon-Nori (demonstration of Battle game, involving hundreds of men working together), Not-Dari-Balgi (a female play), Traditional wedding, and Haeng-Sang-Sori (demonstration of funeral ceremony). These plays are an amazing spectacle and a really unique experience to be had at the festival.  The Gwacheon Hanmadang Festival offering a slew of international performance arts and open-air theatre. The Festival has grown into the best cultural event symbolizing the city of Gwacheon. Starting in 1997 as the Gyeonggi-Gwacheon World Open-air Theatre Festival, he event has already become the new paradigm for performance art festivals that each year introduces new types of stage acts and high-quality open-air productions from both home and abroad. The Festival also allows Gwacheon to pursue greater international cultural exchange and build its image as a city of cultural and artistic creativity.An event of variety where "open-type" performances of East and West join forces, the Festival is especially renowned for its line-up of well-made programs. Gwacheon strives to promote the Festival into a culture and arts model that seamlessly mixes the natural and urban life.   |
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