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D I N B U R G H T A T T O O - P R E
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E V I E W S |
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: : Indian drums at
Edinburgh Tattoo - Times of India - 19th July 2002
: : A whiff of Manipur at Edinburgh
Festival - Asian Age (Bangalore Age Section)
July 20th, 2002
: : Biggest-ever Tattoo that's fit
for Queen - Edinburgh Evening News - 24th July
2002
: : Queen to take
the salute at largest ever Tattoo
- The Scotsman - 25th July, 2002
: : Sword, Spear and Drum - Deccan
Herald (Sunday Herald edition) 28th July, 2002
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Indian drums at Edinburgh
Tattoo - Times of India - 19th July 2002
Ranga Rajah - Times News Network
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INDIA is going to the Edinburgh
Military Tattoo to be held between August 2 to
24 this year for the first time in 30 years. The
Military Tattoo is one of the world's greatest
outdoor annual spectacles, a unique blend of music,
ceremony, entertainment and theatre set against
the backdrop of the historic Edinburgh castle.
At the Tattoo India will be showcasing The
Sword, Spear and Drum, a combination of martial
art and drum dances of Manipur.
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The artistes are from JN Manipur Dance Academy Ensemble.
. And it is thanks to Bangalorean Geetha
Rao, who owns Arts Umbrella,
art and cultural management services, that they are making
the trip to Scotland.
"I went to Manipur to source the best group. This
academy is a unit of the Sangeet Natak Academi. The
tourism department was convinced that this was an opportunity
to showcase India and agreed to sponsor the troupe's
trip. The British Council played a major role as well,"
says Geetha who is leaving
for the festival on July 20 with the artistes.
Alongside, Kala - 2002, a programme of contemporary
and traditional performing arts from India, is being
showcased at the Edinburgh International & Fringe
Festival. This festival of performing arts forms will
be the stage for 16 groups and 160 artistes from across
the country. This is the first time since 1964 that
India will have a major presence at the festival with
a programme of Indian classical dance and music by the
maestros including Bijru Maharaj, Raja and Radha Reddy,
Amjad Ali Khan, Malvaika Sarukkai, Hari Prasad Chaurasia
and others. A retrospective of Shahrukh Khan, who joins
the ranks of Sean Connery and Marlon Brando will also
be screened.
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A whiff of Manipur at Edinburgh Festival - Asian Age (Bangalore
Age Section)
: July 20th, 2002
BY SUHVCHI KAPUR
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It's India at Edinburgh this year.
Starting from the Military Tattoo festival, the
list extends to the Edinburgh International Festival,
the Fringe Festival and the Film Festival.
After 30 years of silence, India will be showcasing
its rich culture and heritage at the Edinburgh
Tattoo Festival. From Bangalore, thanks to the
dogged efforts of Geeta Rao
and her organisation Art Umbrella, a cultural
act, Manipur Martial Arts will be showcased at
the event.
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"This year marks her Majesty, the
Queen's Jubilee and Indian art and culture will be travelling
all the way to the land of pipes and drums. Her majesty,
the Queen will be there on August 5, when the Tattoo
starts," says Geeta Rao
who was invited to the Tattoo last year and spearheaded
a cultural presence this year. With Geeta
Rao, is Gitanjalli Jolly who has been busy getting
the dancers, dances and production details in order.
The Sword, Spear and the Drum,
a stunning spectacle of martial arts and drum dances
of Manipur will be presented by the J.N. Manipur Dance
Academy, a unit of the Sangeet Natak Academy. "I
met Brig. M. Jameson, the producer of the Military Tattoo
and presented a proposal which was approved. We will
be presenting Keibul Lamjaa,
a legend that has won several awards and Thanta"
Geeta Rao says. With the co-ordinated
efforts of Teamwork Films, the Indian vision is being
presented at the Edinburgh festivals as Kala 2002 -
the Performing Arts Of India. Teamwork Films will be
bringing maestros and eminent performers to the practice
area of the Tattoo, the Redford Barracks, where performers
from all over the world will converge. Illa Gupta of
Teamwork Films says, "Sanjoy Roy, the managing
director has taken artistes from all over India and
we are hoping that such a large festival will bring
Indian arts into the international arena." Names
like Birju Maharaj, Raja and Radha Reddy, Hari Prasad
Chaurasia, Amjad Ali Khan and Shah Rukh Khan will herald
Indian participation abroad. The venture is being supported
by the ICCR, Visiting Art, the British Council and the
ministry of tourism with Teamwork Films being the main
co-ordinating agency.
This will also be the first time a film retrospective
of an Indian actor. Shah Rukh Khan, will be held. Films
like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani
and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayeenge will be shown.
The President's Bodyguard, one of the oldest and most
distinctive regiments of India might also be taking
part in the Tattoo. Gitanjalli Alagh Jolly and Geetha
Rao recall the previous festival, "We both
went with a delegation and it was a stupendous and amazing
sight. From the bagpipers to the light and sound, the
festival was mind blowing," she says.
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Biggest-ever Tattoo that's fit for
Queen - Edinburgh Evening News
By: : Angie Brown
Cast of 1200 set to celebrate Jubilee
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AN opera diva supported by 600 musicians and spectacular
sword-wielding Indian dancers will be
among the attractions at the Tattoo's biggest-ever
show this summer.
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The New Zealand opera singer Joanna Heslop will head a
cast of 1200 musicians, dancers and servicemen and women
for the Queen's Jubilee performance of the military show.
Organisers today promised more singing and dancing than
ever before as they unveiled the line-up for the 53rd
Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The Queen will be among more
than 200,000 people expected to attend three weeks of
sell-out shows against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.
It will feature the energetic drumming
of 25 Indian dancers performing a ritual once staged for
the ancient kings of the Manipur region in their home
country. The Thang-Ta, Pung Cholom and Dhol Cholom dancers,
armed with spears and swords, are famous for their acrobatic
shows.
Humour will be brought to the extravaganza by a Dutch
brass band, the Trompetterkorps Bereden Wapens, who play
instruments while riding Second World War bikes. Hundreds
of dancers from Africa, America, Asia, Austral-Asia and
Canada, along with 260 pipers and drummers, will also
be among the cast which will entertain the Queen when
she visits on
August 5.
The grand finale will pay tribute to the Queen and will
climax with a performance by opera star Joanna Heslop
and her 600-strong backing band and renditions of I Vow
To Thee My Country and Pokarekare Ana.
The Lone Piper will bring the night to a close with one
of the late Queen Mother's favorite songs, the Skye Boat
Song.
Packed
The line-up was praised today as "superlative"
and welcomed as an updating of the traditional show.
Brigadier Melville Jameson, the Tattoo's chief executive
and producer, described this year's event as "colossal"
and predicted a packed Esplanade at the Castle every night.
He promised a mix of the traditional with exciting additions.
"I am delighted to welcome the first Indian cultural
group to appear at the Tattoo. Their ancient martial arts
tradition from Manipur in the north-east of the country
is something to behold," he added.
"It is indeed a great honour that the Queen is attending
the Tattoo at the close of her busy UK Jubilee programme.
We certainly hope this will be a memorable evening for
Her Majesty and all those who attend from across the globe.
"They will see the finest massed pipes and drums
anyone will witness anywhere in the world. We will present
wall-to-wall pipes and drums, the very essence and still
the main pillar of the Tattoo."
Councillor Steve Cardownie, the city's culture and leisure
leader, warmly praised the Tattoo organisers.
"The Tattoo puts on a great show and this year promises
to be a superlative performance. "I think the more
music and dance there is at the Tattoo the more people
enjoy it.
"The Tattoo is no longer dismantling cannon and mock
battles.
"The organisers have to be commended because they
didn't have to go to these lengths because the show
sells out every year anyway.
"They already have a successful show so it is
great that they don't just sit back on their laurels."
An Edinburgh and Lothians Tourist board spokeswoman
added: "The programme for this year's event looks
great."
Tickets for the 2002 Tattoo, which runs between August
2 and 24, cost £9 to £27.50 from the credit
card hotline on 08707-555 1188 or from the Tattoo ticket
sales office at 33-34 Market Street.
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Queen to take the salute at largest ever Tattoo - The
Scotsman
By: EDWARD BLACK
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ORGANISERS of the Edinburgh Military
Tattoo have unveiled the event's largest ever
cast, which this year will be attended by the
Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, their last formal
Golden Jubilee engagement.
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Among the 1,200 performers from all over the world
will be an opera diva supported by 600 musicians, sword-wielding
Indian dancers, and a Dutch brass band riding bicycles.
The
217,000 tickets for the three weeks of shows at the Castle
Esplanade have almost all gone, with 98.5 per cent sold.
A fourth successive sell-out is predicted.
The Queen, who last visited the Tattoo in 1950, as
Princess Elizabeth, will attend with Prince Philip on
5 August to mark the end of the Golden Jubilee celebrations.
Brigadier Melville Jameson, the Tattoo's chief executive
and producer, said: "The theme is the Queen's Golden
Jubilee and in trying to celebrate that great event,
we've got probably the. largest cast ever at the Tattoo.
"There's a large contribution from the British
Army, a considerable commitment from the Commonwealth,
as well as representatives from Europe and our friends
in the US marines." This year's show, the 53rd,
opens with a Jubilee fanfare followed by the traditional
pipes and drums, performed by 13 regimental and Commonwealth
bands comprising 260 pipers and drummers. Brig Jameson
added: "The display will be the finest massed pipes
and drums anyone will witness anywhere in the world
- the very essence and still the main pillar of the
Tattoo."
Eric Milligan, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, said:
"The Tattoo has always striven to lift itself and
because Her Majesty the Queen is celebrating the Golden
Jubilee and taking the salute at the Tattoo, we had
to do something even more special."
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Sword, Spear and Drum - Deccan Herald
(Sunday Herald edition) 28th July, 2002
By: Veena Pradeep
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One of the world's greatest outdoor
spectacle, the annual Edinburgh Military Tattoo,
will commence next week This time around the Festival
will have a distinct Indian flavour coming thirty
years since the country last participated.
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THE annual Edinburgh International and Fringe Festival
(EIFF) will have a distinct Indian flavour this year.
Between August 2 and 24, London, Edinburgh, Manchester,
Birmingham and several other cities across the UK will
echo with the feet tapping magic of the likes of Birju
Maharaj and Raja and Radha Reddy and the melodious notes
of Hari Prasad Chaurasia. About 160 artistes from India
including Madhavi Mudgal, Bharti Shivaji, Malavika Sarukkai,
Amjad Ali Khan and Shruti Sadolikar are expected to perform
at the EIFF programmes and conduct workshops in and around
Edinburgh. A retrospective of Shahrukh Khan - the first
ever of an Indian actor here - will also be another Indian
highlight.
But what is expected to steal the limelight is the martial
arts spectacle titled the 'The Sword,
Spear and Drum', by the J N Manipur Dance Academy
Ensemble at the Edinburgh Tattoo (ET). It is for the first
time in 30 years that India is being represented at the
ET. India's participation was facilitated by Bangalore-based
Geetha Rao who runs an arts
and cultural management consultancy service called Arts
Umbrella. When she was invited by Visiting Arts,
UK to visit and attend a seminar at Edinburgh during last
year's EIFF she had the opportunity of meeting Brigadier
M Jameson who produces the Tattoo. The visit was arranged
so that India and the UK could exchange ideas in the arts
and cultural field, develop contacts and even work on
future joint projects. Geetha Rao
proposed showcasing the martial art forms of Manipur at
this year's ET.
"The ET's basic theme is military, that is why we
picked on the martial arts. We narrowed down
the choice to Kerala's Kalaripayattu and Manipur's Thang
Ta. We decided against the Kalaripayattu because it was
rather slow in comparison to the Thang Ta. Once that was
done the J N Manipur Dance Academy was the obvious choice,"
says Geetha Rao.
Manipur is perhaps one of the few regions in the world
which can boast of having women warriors. It never felt
the need for a standing army, being an agricultural State.
But since time immemorial everybody including women, learnt
the martial arts and put their skills to use whenever
an emergency arose, says Geetha Rao.
Brigadier Jameson accompanied her to Manipur to learn
more about Thang Ta and the drum dances, Pung Cholom and
Dhol Cholom. Soon the programme for ET was finalised and
with sponsorship from the Department of Tourism, the artistes
were ready for Edinburgh.
The Edinburgh Tattoo, which is held on almost all the
days of the festival period, itself has a fascinating
history. The word tattoo comes from the Dutch word 'taptoe'
which means 'turn off the taps.' In the 17th and 18th
century the local regiment would march through the streets
of the Low Countries at the end of day with their fifes
and drums which signalled that the soldiers should return
to their quarters and the taverns should stop selling
beer for the day The cry that went up was, "doe den
tap toe" (turn off the taps). Over time, this simple
ritual evolved into a ceremonial performance with massed
bands playing military music.
In 1950 the Edinburgh Military Tattoo was first performed
as the Scottish Army's contribution to the Edinburgh International
Festival. Within no time it became one of the most popular
programmes in the Festival calendar.
"Today, it is billed as the world's greatest outdoor
spectacle," says Geetha Rao.
Tickets are perpetually sold out attended as it is by
more than 200,000 people every year. Not once has the
show ever been cancelled in its five decade long history.
With BBC beaming it to the world outside UK, its viewership
easily touches 100 million according to available statistics.
It is said that once seen, the Edinburgh Tattoo is never
forgotten. This year, the Tattoo is expected to be specially
unforgettable as it also marks the Golden Jubilee of the
Queen.
The music of the massed pipes and drums along with that
of the massed military bands is said to be the most popular
item of the ET. Its spectacle is enhanced by its dramatic
setting at the Esplanade of Edinburgh castle that sits
on an extinct volcano about 135 metres above sea level.
The Tattoo has long ceased to be a Scottish show. There
is a truly international presence with countries from
Australia to India and Egypt to Fiji and Oman being represented.
In all 30 countries have participated with their bands,
both military and civilian at Edinburgh. All kinds of
bands are joined by dancers, flag-wavers, drill teams,
zulus and even camels, elephants, cavalry, motorcyclists
and police dogs.
International participation is deliberately cultivated
as almost the entire world witnesses this celebration
of music, light and colour. And Geetha
Rao is sure the Indian squad's performance will
be well received not only because of the large Indian
presence in the UK but also because Manipur's drum dances
and martial arts are truly unique. |
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