Series: Classical
Date: Saturday, August 23, 2008
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Venue: University Theatre

Ticket Prices: ICMC Members - Free; General -$25; Non-UTD
Students - $15; UT Dallas Student/Faculty/Staff - Free; KERA and DMA members can get 1 free ticket with the purchase of one regular priced ticket. For tickets: call (214) 336-3459.

Austin Dance India will offer a full evening performance of dance and live music that blends different cultural traditions.  Based on the classical Indian dance style of Bharata Natyam, dancer/ choreographer Anuradha Naimpally has created pieces set to music that spans from Indo-Jazz to American Pop. Weaving seamlessly with the lyrics and musicality, Naimpally performs classical technique with a contemporary edge.  The first half of the performance features Indian fusion dance performed to pre-recorded music including pieces from Ravi Shankar, Philip Glass, Tasa and Shankar Mahadevan.

The second half features dance and live music by Cowboys & Indians, including traditional Indian music, chants, as well as original American pop music. Naimpally has been performing worldwide for over 25 years.  In 1989, she was awarded the prestigious Jacqueline LeMieux Prize by the Canada Council, making her the only Indian classical dancer to receive this high honor.  She was bestowed the title of Sringar Mani, “Artistic Jewel,” in Bombay after her performance at the Kal-Ke-Kalakar Festival in 1990.

About Cowboys & Indians

The multi-cultural group, Cowboys & Indians, defy expectations at every turn. Bob Livingston got the idea for the group while he was in India for a U.S. State Department tour of India. Local musicians, using their indigenous instruments, sat in with Livingston almost every performance. Everyone mixed themes, influences, rhythms, instrumentation, and insights from both East and West. They played songs & yodels from Texas and ragas & chants from India. A newspaper in New Delhi called it “country 'n eastern music” and “the Wild East!”

Inspired by these experiences, Livingston wanted to take the sounds and charm of the Indian shows back to his home in Austin, Texas. The concept for Cowboys & Indians began to take shape and some great musicians, drawn from the vibrant Austin international musical community, joined up.

The Cowboys & Indians play in theaters, clubs, schools and other venues throughout Texas. Over 40,000 students in Texas have seen the show. Livingston and playwright Bobby Bridger are developing the show into a full fledged musical and plan to present it sometime this year in Texas theaters. This unique combination of eastern & western music and lore is a cultural sharing experience: guitars and sitars, incense and cactus, boots & bare feet, Mahatma Gandhi & Sitting Bull meet Buddy Holly & Ravi Shankar! For more information visit http://texasmusic.org/cowboys_indians.php

About Indian Classical Music Circle (ICMC)
Indian Classical Music Circle (ICMC) of Dallas/Fort Worth is a non-profit organization dedicated to the presentation and documentation of traditional and contemporary music, dance and drama from India and the Indian sub-continent.  Since its inception in 1983, ICMC has built the most comprehensive concert series and is regarded as the premier producer and promoter of Indian classical music and dance in Dallas/Fort Worth and the surrounding area.

ICMC's mission is to interest, entertain, educate, train and provide spiritual nourishment to its members and the general public and to significantly contribute to the multiethnic heritage and the cultural vitality of the city through its concerts. ICMC seeks to serve as the platform for the world renowned as well as the budding, the international as well as the local exponents of the Indian performing arts, where they can bring forth enhanced exposure, awareness and appreciation of the rich legacy of India's ancient and diverse culture.  ICMC aspires to bring peace, harmony and enlightenment to mankind through music.