IndiaPosted at: Oct 18 2018 6:17PM ShareAustralia's Aboriginal & Torres Strait dance group to visit Bengal, Mizoram and BhopalNew Delhi, Oct 18 (UNI) Australia’s leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, will embark on a multi-city tour of India in October this year as part of Australia Fest. Australia’s High Commissioner to India Harinder Sidhu, said- “We are proud to present one of Australia’s greatest cultural ambassadors, Bangarra Dance Theatre, as the centerpiece of Australia Fest. Bangarra’s visit to India is a great opportunity to share our Indigenous culture and history with Indian audiences". Bangarra are internationally acclaimed for combining more than 65,000 years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture with powerful contemporary dance, immersive soundscapes, music and design. The company’s dancers are dynamic artists, each of whom has a proud Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander background, a release said here.In India, the company will stage Spirit 2018 - a powerful collection of dance stories by Artistic Director Stephen Page, drawn from the company’s 29-year history. Spirit 2018 is a true celebration of Australia’s rich culture and history, fused with outstanding dance technique. The company’s India tour will take off with a spectacular dance performance set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Qutb Minar in New Delhi on October 25 in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of India. The team will then head off to captivate audiences with their performances in Bengaluru and Mumbai.Complementing Bangarra’s multi-city tour will be a series of community engagement workshops with Indigenous groups across the country. Bangarra will travel to Purulia, home of the Chhau mask dance in West Bengal; Bhopal, the site of the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (National Museum of Humankind), and Aizawl in Mizoram "to learn and experience a variety of traditional dances" in a series of artistic collaborations with these communities. “International touring is an essential part of our role as ambassadors for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and we are excited to be embarking on this significant tour," the release said."Cultural exchange enables us to share, learn and grow as a company, and we are deliberately increasing the number of community engagement activities we undertake to set a new benchmark for the future. We are proud to share the resilience and strength of Australia’s First Nation people with other Indigenous communities and groups, and are looking forward to exploring cultural exchange in these remote regions and continuing our tradition in sharing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture globally,” said Bangarra’s Executive Director Philippe Magid. “I am delighted that the dancers are also able to undertake a series of community engagement opportunities with Indigenous groups in India, which will not only help inspire the next generation of performers and storytellers, but also promote meaningful cultural exchange,” added Ms Sidhu. UNI DEVN