World Tourism Day: Discover cities in India through performance arts

World Tourism Day: Discover cities in India through performance arts

Can a traveller experience a city through the art forms thriving therein?

Yes, if one goes by the initiative taken by Kerala-based Experiential Tourism company, The Blue Yonder and dancer Swati Prasad. The duo has yoked tourism and performing arts, in curated, city-specific modules—Dancescapes— to showcase each city from a cultural perspective.

The niche experiences were created based on suggestions given by inbound travel operators and a demand the founders saw in “the conscious traveller who wishes to experience this eco-system, up close,” says Gopinath Parayil, who runs The Blue Yonder. He has been conducting Kathakali trails in Kerala as a popular showcase for nearly two decades. “The difference now is the focus on cities and on the urban traveller,” he adds.

Their first tour was launched in Puducherry in August 2023, and modules in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi and New Delhi commence in October. “The customised modules will enable a traveller to visit art spaces, observe the art form, experience a lec-dem or view a performance and finally learn the basics of the art,” says Gopinath.

Swati, a dancer pursuing art management believes that a symbiotic relationship exists between the artiste and the city, which results in the expansion of the art itself and the city gaining in terms of variety and depth. “We have identified curators in different cities, people who are connected with the art space and are artistes themselves. They are slowly shaping the tours,” she says adding that their tool of expression will be different and the city tour a fresh experience.

Puducherry

Curated by theatre practitioner Ramaswamy and founder of the Vellipapadai Theatre Movement, the Puducherry module will consist of engagements with local folk arts, martial art and theatre groups.