By KLTV Newsdesk
A Dewsbury-based arts organisation is set to launch a new virtual festival later this month to showcase local talent.
The ‘Not-the-Fringe’ festival, organised by Manasamitra, will launch digitally on 25th January with a series of free live and recorded sessions from local artists.
Performances will include dance company The Northern Rascals and vocalists Samuel Hodgson, Rohith Sakthy and Savvy.
The events will incorporate a mixture of music, poetry, dance, speech and sound, showcasing the rich local talent and celebrating the creative diversity within the district.
As well as performances, the festival will see a number of virtual workshops taking place across various artistic mediums.
The festival was originally supposed to take place year, but was delayed due to the pandemic
Manasamitra is a Yorkshire-based arts organisation that delivers a range of South Asian arts and cultural experiences and develops traditional styles to embrace different cultural influences.
Supriya Nagarajan, founder and artistic director of Manasamitra said: “I am thrilled that we are able to connect with our online audience and launch the festival despite the current climate.
“The past year has been an incredibly difficult one, especially for those of us working within the arts sector.”
While the main festival was delayed, other projects continued as Manasamitra released an album, titled Dusk Notes, in November 2020.
The project features Supriya, who is a classically trained Carnatic singer, in a collaboration with composer Duncan Chapman as well as producers at the University of Huddersfield.
For the album, Supriya took inspiration from a range of sources including the Derbyshire Peaks, the river Jamuna in India and the beauty of sunsets.
Supriya added, “We must thank vital funding support that has enabled us to deliver this festival and allowed us to continue working on such exciting projects.
“This includes ‘One Community’s Match it!’ programme which promises to match online public donations pound for pound until the end of January.
“The support from our community has been overwhelming and we can’t wait to deliver this festival to truly showcase the amazing artists on our doorstep and give back to all of those who have supported us over the years.
“I am really pleased that alongside the festival we can also deliver a series of virtual workshops across a range of artistic mediums including dance, percussion, and visual arts.
“I hope that we can help encourage people to embrace their creative side and learn a new skill or develop their existing talents.”
Performances will be accessible on Manasamitra’s YouTube channel on the following dates:
- 25/01/2021 – 30/01/2021: Northern Rascals – young people’s dance
- 01/02/2021 – 07/02/2021: Samuel Hodgson – original songs
- 08/02/2021 – 14/02/2021: Savvy and DJ Therealdemo – original rap concert
- 22/02/2021 – 28/02/2021: Pete Rosser – original songs
- 01/03/2021 – 07/03/2021: Becky Johnson – dance and visual arts
- 08/03/2021 – 14/03/2021: Rohith Sakthy – original songs
- 15/03/2021 – 30/06/2021: Full festival programme
Manasamitra has previously received grants from Arts Council England and the PRS Foundation to deliver projects to venues and communities across the country.