Here’s what not to miss at the Serendipity Arts Festival this December

If you are planning a holiday in Goa around mid-December, brace up and plan ahead to make the most out of India’s most-awaited multi-disciplinary arts event, Serendipity Arts Festival that will be held in Panjim between December 15 and 22 this year. In its ninth edition, it promises an unparalleled cultural experience that spans diverse artistic disciplines, promoting and nurturing the arts, by bringing together artists, curators, and audiences in a shared celebration of creativity and cultural exchange across all disciplines of art. This year, a distinguished lineup of curators is bringing to fruition about 200 projects across 22 venues.

The performing arts segment is being curated by prominent personalities like tabla exponent Bickram Ghosh, Zubin Balaporia for music, stage actor-director Quasar Thakore Padamsee for theatre, dancer Jayachandran Palazhy, and Bharatnatyam exponent and vocalist Geeta Chandran for dance. Visual Arts is being curated by curator and writer Veerangana Solanki and Thukral and Tagra, while craft will be curated by Sandeep Sangaru and Kristine Michael.

Here are a few highlights of the 8-day long event.

Dance and Drama

Dance-drama and narration-based art forms will see different approaches with some stunning curations this year.

There will be a thought-provoking Odishi dance performance, Sutra, featuring Sharmila Biswas, that delves into the evolution of the classical dance form, combining traditional choreography with live music, projections, and an interactive set design, seamlessly blending past, present, and future.

Aqeedat, Love’s Union in the Divine will be an immersive Kathak rendition narrating the timeless tale of love between Sohini and Mahiwal, set against a backdrop of Hindustani classical music.

The theatre scene curated by Quasar Thakore Padamsee and Sankar Venkateswaran will witness a multi-discipline performance titled Glitch in the Myth that will reinterpret the Ramayana from the perspective of a young woman.

There will also be a performance by Mallika Taneja, Do You Know This Song? that will blend live music and storytelling to explore themes of memory and identity. The interactive performance will invite audiences to participate in shaping the narrative, creating a dynamic and evolving theatrical experience.

The play Mattiah 22:39 is set against the backdrop of a devastating drought, and explores themes of survival, love, and morality, offering a poignant reflection on human relationships in crisis.

Visual Arts 

Multiplay lies at the core of the visual arts experience and the works encourage participation and experience that reflect the complexities of our interconnected world. Here, artworks come to life through human interaction and the artwork's evolution within a timeframe. These works engage in a dynamic process that creates ripples, with the artist acting as a facilitator, creating a framework that attempts to address fragility and social and political urgencies.

A multisensory experience curated by Veerangana Solanki, “A Haptic Score” allows audiences to engage with art through touch and sound. Designed for accessibility, particularly for visually impaired audiences, this exhibition challenges the idea that art must be experienced through sight alone.

Music 

One World concert, curated by Zubin Balaporia, brings together musician Lou Majaw and members of the pioneering rock band Indus Creed, along with Warren Mendonsa (Blackstratblues) and Pratika Gopinath (Easy Wanderlings), who will collectively call out for humanity’s return to unity, peace, and harmony with a mix of rock, folk, and Indian classical elements.

The Three Divas curated by Bickram Ghosh, will feature iconic vocalists Usha Uthup, Aruna Sairam, and Shubha Mudgal in a spellbinding performance that spans decades of musical excellence.

Shaam-e-Ghazal, also curated by Bickram will celebrate the timeless artistry of ghazal legends, honouring the musical brilliance of icons such as Ghulam Ali, Mehdi Hasan, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mehdi Hasan, Pankaj Udhas and Jagjit Singh, along with esteemed ghazal writers whose works have transcended generations.

Craft

Curated by Sandeep Sangaru, Abundance in Scarcity, will explore Ladakh's sustainable ingenuity and showcase the resourceful craftsmanship of Ladakh's artisans, who use limited resources to create sustainable designs.

Past Forward: Remix and Collaborations in Glass and Ceramics, will bring together contemporary and traditional artists working in ceramics and glass. Curated by Kristine Michael, it emphasises sustainability and upcycling, showing how ancient crafts can be adapted to address modern challenges.

The Culinary Arts sections curated by Edible Issues too will see three interesting events around food, exploring the indigenous culture across regions centering around local food habits and customs. 

The Special Projects this year will see impressive curations by Preethi Athreya in Performance Art, Comedy Wagon in stand-up comedy and Gaya Tideman in Music in the Art Park among others.