Event Listings @ Pulse Connects

2013 marks the centenary of Indian cinema, one of the most prolific film industries in the world. It was a hundred years ago that India screened its first ever film, Raja Harishchandra, in Mumbai (then Bombay). To commemorate the historic occasion, the National Media Museum is showcasing some of Bollywood’s best known actors and the industry’s most loved films with the exhibition Bollywood Icons: 100 Years of Indian Cinema.

Bollywood Icons looks at Indian cinema’s fascination with stars through a vibrant collection of classic and contemporary posters, many of them rare hand painted prints, with some dating back to the early 1940s. The posters say as much about the real lives of the stars they feature, as they do about the films they promote. Many of the posters feature popular romantic couples through the decades, some of whom fell in love in real life as well as on-screen. The exhibition also features footage of some of Bollywood’s most spectacular song and dance sequences.   Bollywood Icons will appeal to fans of popular Indian cinema of all generations and is also a great introduction for newcomers.

The exhibition also explores the theme of iconic women in Indian cinema, including Fearless Nadia the stage name of Mary Evans. Evans was an Australian-born actress with an English father who went on to star in dozens of Indian films from the 1930s – 1960s. She performed her own stunts, and often those of her male co-stars, and was given the ‘Fearless’ moniker by the director of her action films, Homi Wadia, whom she later married.

Gallery Two: Until 16 June 2013 

www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/PlanAVisit/Exhibitions/BollywoodIcons/Introduction.aspx

DANCE INDIA Asia Pacific returns for a second time after its successful premiere launch in Singapore last year.

This year it attempts to offer a more holistic experience to the discerning dancer through the introduction of new genres in its workshops.

Tuesday 4 June – Sunday 9th June, Singapore

www.milapfest.com/dance-india/dance-india-asia-pacific/

Rising is a solo performance by Aakash Odedra. Individual works have been specially choreographed for him by artists Russell Maliphant, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, and Akram Khan, and the evening opens with a classical kathak variation which Aakash has choreographed himself. Each piece uses Aakash’s background in kathak and bharatanatyam to create a new flavour of contemporary dance, complemented with lighting by Michael Hulls and Willy Cessa.

The project has been commissioned by DanceXchange, Sampad, Eastman, The Hat Factory, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Dance, South East Dance, New Art Exchange, The Place, Curve Theatre, Leicester and funded by Arts Council England and Akademi. Presented in partnership with New Dance4

£15 (£12 concessions) £9.50 restricted view | Tuesday 4th June 8pm | Djanogly Theatre

www.lakesidearts.org.uk/Dance/ViewEvent.html

The AMC presents Yogeswaran and The Carnatic Music Ensemble.

Manickam Yogeswaran or ‘Yoga’ is a versatile singer and instrumental performer. During his childhood, Yoga was exposed to a wide variety traditional temple music. He believes these early experiences are the main source of the power and expressive range for which his voice is critically acclaimed. It shaped his passion for Thevaram Hymns, the Tamil Isai repertoire in addition to Carnatic music that constitutes the southern branch of India’s classical music. As a result, his musical expression has reached the festival audiences at Chennai just as those at the BBC Proms; Glastonbury, The Arts and Ideas Festival (USA) and Womad.

He is equally at home in contemporary music and in bharatanatyam, having performed all over the UK, Europe and Canada.

For this special recital at the AMC Yoga will be accompanied by The Carnatic Music Ensemble: S. Jalatharan - Violin | J. Padmanabhan - Mirdangam | A. Srinivasan – Morsing (jew's harp) Tanpura player (long-necked lute as drone)

Friday 7th June |7pm Museum of Asian Music |£10 (Advanced booking required)

Book online.

For further information please contact 0208 742 9911 or email matthew@amc.org.uk