Anita Ratnam: Solo Performance of Ma3Ka and Artist Talk in Melbourne, 1st December 2018

She is energy, exuberant in play. The joy of experience passed on generously from within.

She is a confluence, a woman, owning her powers.

She is Ma3ka.

Woman.

Earth Mother, three times and more…

Using Vedic hymns, singing, silence, drumming, contemporary mythology and a distinctive movement vocabulary, MA3KA is the performative expression of the Holy trinity of Hindu goddesses: Saraswati, Knowledge Mother; Lakshmi, Prosperity Mother; and Meenakshi, Warrior Mother refracted through the prism of personal narratives.

Dr Anita Ratnam, based in Chennai (Madras), India, is highly respected as a performer, writer, speaker, arts entrepreneur and culture mentor.

She has been described as an ‘intersectionist’, whose work weaves the many disciplines of dance, theatre, spoken word, ritual, archaeology, dramaturgy and women’s issues.

For over 40 years, her distinguished career has witnessed over 1000 performances in 27 countries. In 2018, she was awarded the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for contemporary dance by the President of India. This is Ratnam’s first tour of Melbourne, Australia.

The performance will be followed by an artist talk and moderated panel with Ratnam, in conversation with Dr. William Peterson (Senior Lecturer, Flinders University), Dr. Priya Srinivasan (Performing Artist | Associate Professor, Deakin University) and Dr. Nithya Nagarajan (Performing Artist | Manager – Community and Participation, NIDA).

Photo: Ari Roth