Ashley Lobo to virtually stage his show AgniSurvival of the smartest

Ashley Lobo’s piece Agni was recently featured as a six-minute-long excerpt in a virtual fundraising gala by #ArtMatters. Originally created by his dance company Navdhara India Dance Theatre, the 65-minute piece, titled Agni, had its international premiere in Israel in 2018 at the Suzanne Dellal Center for Dance and Theatre and its Indian premiere at the NCPA Mumbai.

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The world has changed since then. During the current pandemic, Lobo has been adapting to the new normal, teaching dance enthusiasts online.

He says, “I am aware that the artistic and cultural landscape in the country has suffered financial and logistical devastation because of the pandemic. Performance-oriented arts and events have come to a grinding halt. The impact of this stagnancy is far reaching, especially on daily-wage artistes, performers, craftspeople and puppeteers whose regular income has now dried up.”