MUMBAI: Popular folk artiste Raghu Dixit was among the artistes who gave an infectious dazzling performance at the iconic venue of the Sydney Opera House in Australia this week.

This special gala reception and concert earlier this week for the upcoming Confluence Festival of India in Australia showcased the best of the festival.

The event included the happy tones of a dazzling performance from the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, and a performance of Pung Cholom, where acrobatics, martial arts and leather drums come together to form an energetic and thrilling spectacle.

The gala also included a unique coming together of Australian and Indian performing art forms showcasing distinct movements, rhythms and inherent similarities. Sufi gospel music by acclaimed Indian singer and composer Sonam Kalra and aboriginal tunes interlaced with Jazz rhythms and classical and folk dances exhilarated the audience.
The collaboration focused on highlighting the unique aspects of each distinct genre while using the universality of dance and music to create a seamless performance. The show blended Indian and western musical traditions with eastern and western voices of faith, through poetry, and prayer.

The reception pre-concert was hosted by the NSW Government and was attended by Minister for the Ageing, Minister for Disability Services, and Minister for Multiculturalism John Ajaka from the Australian side and Indian Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma, High Commissioner of India in Australia Navdeep Suri and Consul General of India in Sydney B Vanlalvawna.

Confluence Festival of India in Australia is the most significant exhibition of Indian arts and culture ever to be staged in Australia, involving world-class performers in a showcase of the stunning and vibrant variety of India’s artistic cultures and traditions.

Festival performances are taking place in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Alice Springs between 15 August 15 and 8 November. The full programme is available on the festival website:confluencefoi.com.

“Confluence represents a meeting point - of arts and artistes, of ideas and ideals, of cultures and civilisations. Like the waters of two rivers, they meet, share and imbibe from each other. That's the focus of our festival, of the collaborations that it strives to promote. From the Opera House in Sydney to Federation Square in Melbourne, from QPAC in Brisbane to the Festival Centre in Adelaide, from the Old Parliament in Canberra to the State Theatre in Perth, the Festival of India will enthrall audiences, foster collaborations between our artists and create cultural bonds like never before,” Suri said.

Sharma also launched the Incredible India Bus Campaign in Sydney that will travel to other Australian cities.