Culture and connection comes to life at the Thekkindian Festival, a one-of-a-kind celebration taking place in Chennai.
From Friday 1 May to Sunday, 3 May, dance, culture and wellness enthusiasts across all ages will have plenty to immerse themselves in at VGP Heritage Venues, Injambakkam.
Across three days, the festival will offer a spiritually and culturally enriching experience rooted in dance, music and wellness. Founded by dancers Earnest and Prawin, the festival builds on the idea of cultural exchange, bringing South Indian and African cultures together for a unique experience, framed by inclusivity and diversity.
Described perfectly by its tagline of “Born from the South. Built for the world,” the second edition of the festival in Chennai – with a successful first edition last year in Kerala – is set to highlight world-class artists in a transformative and engaging learning experience.
Speaking of what inspired the festival, Earnest says, ” THEKKINDIAN was founded by me and Praween after we met through a dance camp in Bangalore. As artists who are deeply passionate about African dance styles, the main intention of this festival is to bring world class artists across the continents to South India so that participants can gain experience without having to travel or spend too much. The exposure can influence and elevate our knowledge. It also gives an opportunity from dancers from South India share their knowledge and facilitates cultural exchange.”
In addition to reducing the financial constraints of gaining exposure to global dance forms, the second edition of the festival also aims to celebrate traditions of Africa and South India, globally and equally.
Earnest says, ” In the first edition, there was more focus on Afro Dance, but in this edition we want to explore the deep rooted connections between our cultures based on music, our instrumentals, lifestyles.
“Last edition, we had an international artist from Ghana. This time we are bringing more Indian talent well-versed in Afro dance and beyond. But this time we will also be focusing on our traditions. For instance, we have a folk artist from Madurai to teach the rhythm and practice of traditional dance forms like Paraiyattam as well as workshops in Bharatnatyam,” adding, ” This time its definitely more cultural as we celebrate traditions from both Africa and South India, because this festival is not about gaining virality by using Afro Dance culture. It’s about valuing both cultures and facilitating connection.”
“It’s an opportunity to learn, unlearn to evoke a sense of community and connection, to allow ourselves to be open to vulnerability and expression.”
On what we can expect across the three days, he says, “Besides dance workshops, we also have workshops around practices that can be adopted in our lifestyle such as meditation, sound healing, animal flow. We will start our day with breath work and meditation, getting into movement then training in one style of dance, before indulging in a sound healing session to slow down. Then, we will have different dance battles from hip-hop and Afro to open-style dance battles inviting different dancers across styles to dance to African music and another where only Tamil songs will be played.”
Rooted in creating awareness about body, movement and mind, Earnest describes the festival as three days of transformation. He explains, “It’s an opportunity to learn, unlearn to evoke a sense of community and connection, to allow ourselves to be open to vulnerability and expression.”
With this second edition expanding further on their cultural outlook, the organisers have future plans to further bridge the gap between the South Indian and African diasporas. On future plans, Earnest says, “We see a bright future because we’ve seen the acceptance for this sort of festival last year. We hope to bring it to other states and other people to promote our culture as well as bring more authentic African artists from across the world, to share their culture with us. It’s not just a festival, a celebration of culture.”
Created with care to nurture the body and mind equally, the Thekkindian Festival is set to be a rich and vibrant explosion of art, music, movement, fashion, food, and mindful practices in one place. Spanning high-energy performances to calming rituals, the festival is shaped with both purpose and passion, inviting creatives to connect beyond their own medium and rediscover themselves with zeal.
If you’re seeking an exploration of heritage, arts and global creative connection, the Thekkindian Festival is worth checking out!
Thekkindian Festival is happening from May 1-3. Get your tickets to the festival here.
(Images courtesy of Thekkindian Festival)
Planning to check out the Thekkindian Festival? Tag us on Instagram if you do! Visit Lyrical Muse for more cultural coverage around the world.
Leave a Reply