The Two Fridas Set for the International Stage …
One of the world’s most famous self portraits is going to be brought to life from the canvas to the stage – through the medium of dance, music and live painting as the Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance has started work on a bold tribute to the creative heroine behind the brushstrokes of The Two Fridas. Mexican artist Frida Kahlo – one of the most significant artists of the 20th century.
A cultural twist in the tale will see Kahlo share The Two Fridas with a celebration of life, times and work from the pioneering Hungarian-Indian Avantgarde painter, Amrita Sher-Gil.
In 2020/21, Billingham International Festival of World Dance – one of the UK’s oldest and most respected dance festivals – in partnership with Balbir Singh Dance Company (BSDC) will immortalise two of the art world’s true inspirational figures.
The creative palette will be an explosion of cultural and heritage references pulling emotional and imaginative elements from the eventful lives of Kahlo and Sher-Gil. Fusing together Classical Indian Dance, Western Contemporary Dance and Mexican Dance.
This is happening at a time when Lockdown is being eased throughout the country as museums and theatres are eager to welcome back audiences, who are hungry to engage with culture. The Two Fridas will pave the way, as a first experience, for audiences to engage with performance.
Kahlo is recognised as being a symbolic and motivational artist, whose work has been a pivotal factor in energising and driving generations of people, who ordinarily wanted to create a voice for the unheard and visibility for the unseen. She is a much-respected figure greatly lauded by people of disability and individuals from the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning) communities.
The Two Fridas will stay true to Kahlo’s proud admiration of culture, heritage and nature, and strip back those affiliations to their bare essentials, and will leave her pounding heart and soul on the stage after every performance.
Amrita Sher-Gil achieved greatness in her 28-years on Earth with her unique style bringing her plaudits from the world over. Even 80-years after her death she is still recognised as being one of the most chic, aspirational and exclusive Indian women artists in Modern Indian Art.
Like Kahlo, Sher-Gil too liked to pursue the genre of self portraits which adorned her exhibitions. Sher-Gil observational oil on canvas depictions mostly used women as her muse, and those paintings have stood the test of time and become inspirational vehicles to influence creative women of today.
The diverse stage show will blend the contemporary crafts of defined movement and story-telling juxtaposed with the vivacious ethnicity of classical Indian Kathak and traditional Mexican dance. This married with the social, ethical and spiritual values that totally drove Kahlo and Sher-Gil as respected artists.
It is hoped that over the next 12 to 18-months the Billingham International Festival of World Dance and Balbir Singh Dance Company will take The Two Fridas on a tour of the United Kingdom, France, Mexico and Hungary. In the mean-time they are creating further layers to the show and developing an educational programme to accompany the production.
The North-East of England will premiere The Two Fridas with showcases planned for The Bowes Museum (County Durham), Preston Park Museum (Middlesbrough), and the Empty shop (gallery in Billingham) – dates to be confirmed.
The Two Fridas is being supported by Arts Council England through its National Lottery Project Grants Programme.
The original score is being created by Hayley Youell.
Other consultants on the project are: Carmen Avalos (artist); Rafael Zamarripa (master dance teacher and choreographer of Mexican dance); with collaborative partners being Amrita Sher-Gil Cultural Centre, Budapest; CIOFF Mexico; CIOFF India; CIOFF France, Museo Regional de las Artes and Ballet La Grana, Autlan , Mexico; Forras Neptancegyuttes, Szaszalambata, Hungary ; and Cultures Croisées en Île de France.
The show in its entirety will also be performed in 2021 at the 56th Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance [7-15 August].
The next stage of the journey is for the festival’s creative team to find its talented cast. For further information about The Two Fridas please visit www.billinghamfestival.com
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Quotes:
Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance:
Olga Maloney, Artistic Director of the Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance, said: “The Two Fridas truly represents the international roots of our festival. Dancers from Mexico, India and Hungary have been coming to Billingham for generations and this is a wonderful tribute to all of those performers who made extraordinary sacrifices to bring their talents to the stage.
“We are proud to be telling the story of Frida Kahlo and Amrita Sher-Gil as they are ultimate role models of our day and age, whose beliefs resonate even stronger and wider in these current times.”
@BillFest
Balbir Singh Dance Company:
Balbir Singh of Balbir Singh Dance Company, said: “This show represents how two women’s struggle to tackle adversity can be used as an inspiration for us all to deal with what life throws at us.
“We are pulling together an amalgamation of artistic threads that will combine to tell a story through dance, drawing, music and drama; and will be appreciated regardless of creed, culture or sexuality.
“The chemistry between dancer and artist; and the vibrant, explosive cultural connections extracted from India, Mexico and Hungary promises to be both emotional and playful.”
@balbirdance
Arts Council England:
Jane Tarr, Director, North, Arts Council England: “During these unprecedented times we are seeing so many cultural organisations having to adapt and evolve the work they are doing to continue to create quality arts and culture. Billingham International Dance Festival of World and Balbir Singh Dance Company are doing just this as they begin to focus on their project The Two Fridas. I look forward to them bringing their unique approach to this extraordinary idea, while looking ahead to Billingham International Dance Festival in 2021.”
The Arts Council is the national development agency for creativity and culture. By 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences. Between 2018 and 2022, we will invest £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery to help deliver this vision. www.artscouncil.org.uk
Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council has developed a £160 million emergency response package, with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. Find out more at www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19.
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