Behind the scenes of a Indian mythological themed dance-drama, created for a mainstream audience.

The mainstream western version of Indian performing arts is limited to Bombay cinema, often called ‘Bollywood’ Creating Utsava’ illustrates an attempt to propagate an often ignored part of Indian art, her sacred stories and spiritual foundation, now packaged into an accessible form.

In late 2005, The Taranga artist group performed a theatrical dance show drawing on ancient Indian sacred stories and history. The show covered four festivals, and explored the underlying mythology and significance of each festival. The content was then presented uniquely in the form of live music and dance. Taranga, has presented such shows for nearly 25 years, however mostly to a “culturally informed” or predominantly Indian audience.

For the first time, Taranga has brought their art to a mainstream western audience, and the documentary covers the entire process from start to finish.

I set out to capture an experience that many second generation Indian immigrants have, participating in cultural activities through both music, dance, and stage acting.

Creating a show for a mainstream audience has been a long-time goal of the group, and since 2005, many shows have since been performed.