What is so great about

this black canvas?

Peer Learning Project

Even though most people feel this way about “us”

But we still need to bring these ‘people’ into museums!

Or else, future generations

will be like this!

Dance and Theatre as Museum Marketing Tools

By: Namrata Sarmah Buddy: Deepanwita

Story of Dance in India

The early origin• Conceived by Lord Brahma according to the shastras.• Recorded in Natyashastra.• Evolved over the Vedic Period.• In mythology – Shiva’s Tandav (Nataraj)

Krishna’s Raas Leela Apsaras of the Heaven

Story of Dance in IndiaClassical Dance

• Classical dance in India has developed as a type of dance-drama that is a form of a theatre.

• The dancer acts out a story almost exclusively through gestures. Most of the classical dances enact stories from Hindu mythology, like Ramayana & Mahabharat.

Indian classical dance styles:Bharatanatyam (Tamil Nadu)

Kathak (North India) Manipuri (Manipur)

Mohiniyattam (Kerala)Odissi (Odisha)

Sattriya (Assam)Kathakali (Kerala)

Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh)

Indian folk dances such as Bihu, Bagrumba, Jhumoor, Lavani, Garba, Bhangra and Kalbelia etc developed regionally in different parts of the country.

Story of Theatre in IndiaEpics Plays by Kalidasa:• Abhijyanashakuntalam • MalavikagnimitramThese plays were written somewhere in between the 4th century to 5th century AD under the Guptas.

Natyashastra- The codified Dance forms:It addresses acting, dance, music, dramatic construction, architecture, costuming, make-up, props, the organisation of companies, the audience, competitions, and offers a mythological account of the origin of theatre.

Story of Theatre in India

In Bengal:• Girish Chandra Ghosh One of the pioneers. Director at Star Theatre. He wrote 86 plays.• Rabindranath Tagore Incorporated Kirtan in Theatres. At twenty he wrote his first drama opera Valmiki Pratibha.

In Maharashtra:• Vishnudas Bhave He wrote Sita Swayamwar. He pioneered travelling theatres.• Annasaheb Kirloskar He revamped the theatre with Shakuntal based on Kalidasa’s work.• The influence of wesern opera culture was evident in Marathi theatre.

The development of Theatre in 19th century India

Raja Ravi Verma recreation of a theatre scene.

This was India’s Rich culture in Dance and Theatre.

Question: What can be done with it?Answer: Preserve it in a museum for the future generations.Problem: The problem is that we can preserve the tangible aspects of Dance and Theatre in a museum, but not the bulk of intangible aspects associated with it.The intangible aspects can only be preserved if they are practiced inside the museum and continued over the generations.

Thus along with the objects, linking the intangible aspects are important.

This is what we haveAnd this is what we do with

what we have.

National Centre for the Performing Arts (India)

It is a multi-venue, multi-purpose cultural centre in Mumbai, India, which aims to promote and preserve India's heritage of music, dance, theatre, film, literature and photography.

Principal aims and objectives of NCPATo establish a national centre for the preservation and

promotion of classical, traditional and contemporary dance and visual arts.

To establish, equip and maintain schools, auditoria, libraries, archives, museums, studios, workshops and other facilities necessary to fulfil the above objectives.

To disseminate knowledge, promote appreciation, provide training and sponsor or undertake scientific research in these fields with the objective of further development by encouragement of innovation within India and by interaction with the arts of other countries.

But this is not a full-fledged

Museum

Makeover of a Museum through Dance and Theatre.

The hows?

• So, how do we bring people to museums?• Or, how do we bring museum to people?Our strategy is simple, use

dance and theatre.

Why dance and theatre?

• Dance and theatre are crucial to human because they serve two purposes-Source of entertainment and recreation.

• They are also Carriers of customs, traditions for human societies across centuries.

Dance and theatre as Entertainment and Recreation

Dance and theatre as carriers of culture

Dance and Theatre in Museum Marketing

• Case study 1: National Museum of Dance, New York.

• Case study 2: Theatre Museum, London.

National Museum of Dance, New York

The mission of the NMD is to cultivate, promote, foster and develop amongst its members and the community at large, the appreciation, understanding, taste and love of dance and its history, and to provide the means for popular instruction and enjoyment thereof; to collect, classify, preserve and protect records, articles and subjects of historic interest.

CURRENT EXHIBITS

Marketing strategies of National Museum of Dance

Organises events such as-• Annual ballets.• Exhibitions.• Weddings• Fundraisers.

Annual Nutcracker Ballet

ExhibitionsDancers in Films

Do the tango!

Marriages are made in Museums!

Dancing for a noble cause!

Starstruck!

For the little ones!

Facebook

Twitter

Theatre Museum, London

• It closed in 2007, and has now been replaced by new galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museum’s main site.

• These galleries showcase various components of the production of a theatre performance.

The Theatre Museum told the story of the performing arts in Britain from the sixteenth century to the present. It covered all the live performing arts including drama, dance,opera, musical theatre, circus, puppetry, music hall and live art. It claimed to have the largest collections of documents and artefacts on these subjects in the world. Costumes, designs, manuscripts, books, video recordings, including the National Video Archive of Performance, posters and paintings were used to reconstruct the details of past performances and the lives of performers.

 National Video Archive of Performance

This room explores the role of the audience. Visitors can watch clips from the National Video Archive of Performance, including work by Complicité, the Royal Shakespeare Company,  West End musicals, pantomime and fringe theatre.

Romeo Juliet

Hamlet Othello

What will I watch?

Straight from the Design BoardStage models, sketches and paintings explain the role of the designer and their processes.  On show are one of the earliest surviving set models from 1793 for a production of 'The Wonders of Derbyshire' by landscape painter Philip James de Loutherbourg.  Other highlights include models by some of the most internationally acclaimed set designers of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Making it up!This section looks at the process and history of stage make-up, leading into the beginning of the performance costume displays. Visitors can see Kylie Minogue's dressing room and watch online content on a touch screen.

The Glad Rags!This section features costumes worn on stage by leading actors such as Richard Burton as Henry V and Laurence Olivier in Oedipus Rex, musical performers including Jimmy Page and Brian Eno, the red dress and hat designed by Christian Dior for Vivien Leigh, a tutu worn by Margot Fonteyn and an Ossie Clark jumpsuit worn by Mick Jagger.

Chronicling the chroniclesIn this area visitors can learn about the processes behind productions like 'The Miracle',  'Hamlet' and 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and explore digitised pages from selected manuscripts. A display on producing looks at ways of financing, casting and choosing a venue for a production and explores the history and practice of censorship.

So, what to do?• Art forms such a ballets, dances etc can be organised to attract

audience.• Events such as weddings, cocktail parties or dinners can be

organised in museum premises.• Special events for children such as the aforementioned Doll

Party can be organised.• Fundraising events (such as dance festivals) can also be held

to engage people with the museums. • Celebrities or public personalities can be made to engage with

museum activities, by participating in events or as brand ambassadors.

• Strong and active social media presence is essential.

Now, ‘Make in India’!• Dance or theatre museum is not a very widespread

practice in Indian museums.• The upcoming Guru Gopinath National Dance Museum

(GGNDM) will showcase the evolution, heritage and diversity of dance forms in India and abroad.

• However, due to the prevalence of numerous dance and theatre forms in India, dance and theatre museums can be a lucrative prospect.

Transcending Museum Spaces

Zangoora, the Gypsy Prince and Jhumroo, two Broadway-like performance in Kingdom of Dreams theme park in Gurgaon. Similar practices can be adopted in museum spaces.

Tangible and Intangible Culture• Museums in India, while depicting cultural entities

such as dance and theatre forms, display only the tangible aspect of it.

• The intangible aspects can be showcased by means of events such as weekly/monthly dance or theatre festivals.

• The focus should be not only on well-known dance and theatre forms, but the lesser known regional ones as well.

For instance, in the National Museum, the Tribal Arts Gallery has not been able to either attract audience or represent the tribal cultural forms.

Instance from National Museum, New Delhi

As a remedy, regular hosting of art and cultural forms of the tribal communities or art forms from north-east India can be arranged. Performance of dance forms, stalls of the ethnic cuisines, handicraft, textiles and other goods, hosting display of traditional games etc can be arranged.

Bamboo Dance (Mizoram)

Bagrumba dance of the Bodo Tribe (Assam)

Raslila (Manipur)

Bihu dance of the Mising tribe (Assam)

Bhaona (A traditional theatre form of Assam)

Yak dance (Arunachal Pradesh)

Our attempt Using play as an instrument to promote the

National Museum

Mixing Dance and Theatre with museum objects to stitch stories.

That is me

Apart from these dance and theatre forms, various other means and events such as food stalls, handicrafts and fashion shows can also be organised in sync with the museum exhibits.

Food stalls

Fashion shows

Museums in Terminals!Prince of Wales Museum of Mumbai has opened a shop in Mumbai International Airport to attract audience. Similar ventures can be adopted by other museums as well. Dance and theatre forms, and various stalls could be installed in such spaces.