DHAATU PUPPET THEATER:
Dhaatu Puppet Theatre brings to the people, the stories of Indian Epics and Heroes through the ancient art-form of Puppetry. Dhaatu , showcases more than ten traditional Puppet Theatre productions. Anupama Hoskere, the director of Dhaatu Puppet Theater has experimented with different styles of traditional puppets and music. Being a performing Bharatanatyam artist, she has bridged the two fields by making her puppets dance to classical Bharatanatyam numbers. She has also been doing revival work of the Eechanoor style of puppetry of Karnataka done since the year 2008. She has been awarded the Senior-fellowship by the Ministry of Culture, of the Govt. of India for this work. Anupama has scripted and set to music the Dhaatu productions in a manner which is appreciated and understood by the younger generation of today. Dhaatu Puppet Theatre has had house-full screenings at Ranga Shankara, Bangalore. Their puppet plays have also been staged in the Hampi Utsava, Suvarna Karnataka Utsava & the Delhi International Arts Festival. Story-telling and puppet shows of Dhaatu are popular as value education classes in schools. Anupama Hoskere has also done creative puppetry work-shops for Govt. school teachers of Karnataka, Masters students of National Institute of design and school children. DHAATU NAVARATRA DOLL DISPLAY:
Happens for a month during the month from Dussera to Deepavali every year. 2011 would be the 17th year. Thematic Display of Traditional Dolls over 1200 sq ft area with more than 5000 dolls is the largest doll exhibition in Bangalore and open to the public. Thousands of people visit the doll- exhibition every year. Story-telling and evening cultural programs happen during the festival. School children also visit in groups with prior appointments for groups. This year the Dhaatu Navaratra Mahotsava begins on the 28th of September 2011. DHAATU PUPPET FESTIVAL:
It is an annual event. The National Level - Dhaatu Puppet Festival, aims to provide a platform for traditional puppeteers and also introduce the urban youth and children to the richness and beauty of this art-form. Dhaatu Puppet Festival 2011 – 12 has been scheduled for Dec 29th, 30th and Jan 1st
EPIC WORKSHOPS:
Dhaatu conducts it’s week long Epic workshops in Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavata in the month of April. Story-telling, work-book activity, Dance, drama and puppetry form the content of these workshops. The purpose is to familiarize the student with the Epic stories, characters and the value systems and also the traditional arts.
