FACE

The Forward Artistes' Centre En-camped (FACE) is one of the leading cultural organisations of Manipur, and stands for the preservation and promotion of the state's cultural heritage. Established in 1986, FACE tries to preserve the pristine glory of traditional culture and to create a new movement in which culture flows in new and vital forms.
Since its inception FACE has produced audio cassettes, documentary video films that are used as teaching aids, and 15 ballets/dance-dramas with the financial assistance of various funding agencies. It has organized dance festivals, cultural workshops, cultural camps, seminars and interstate
cultural exchange programmes. In addition to this, it has also taken part in many mass awareness campaigns through culture, as organized by numerous NGOs.
So far FACE has produced around 30 Manipuri classical soloists who have been recognized at both the regional as well as the national levels. It has 25 regular artists at present.

Items to be Performed:

Maibi Dance - The Maibis, priestesses believed to be spiritual mediums, trace the entirecosmology and way of life of the Meitei people through their dances. Starting with the process of creation itself, they move on to other aspects of life such as the construction of houses and the various occupations taken up by the people to sustain themselves. The entire dance performance
is like a reliving of the past and a celebration of the Meitei way of life.
Kabui Dance - Also known as the 'cricket-dance', this is a form of dance that imitates and is based on the movements of the cricket. The Kabui people believe that all living things offer their dances to the creator and the cricket is one such creature with beautiful music and movements. Following the
movements of this insect, they perform a dance called the kabui dance each year after harvest. This is also the time of their annual festival when they dance, sing, eat and make merry.
Lai-Haraoba  - Lai-Haraoba is an annual festival celebrated by the Meiteis, inhabitants of the Manipur Valley, all over the land at the shrines of ancestral forefathers known as Laibungs. It is a rigidly observed ritual that begins towards the end of the year and continues into the new year. During this festival the Meiteis pray for forgiveness for sins committed, and end with a resolve to lead a better life in the coming new year.
Poong Cholom - This dance form is a core constituent of classical Manipuri culture and Sankritana. In it dancers carry out complex and elegant movements while simultaneously playing folk musical instruments called the poong or mridang.
Khubak Ishei - Also known as the 'song of the clappers', the emphasis in these performances is on the resonant clapping sound accompanied by the voices of the singers. The themes in these songs are usually based on legendary stories, some of the most common ones centered on the life
of Krishna.
Raas Leela- The Manipuri raas-leela represents only a small fragment of the vast Sankritana tradition. The leela is preceded by Nat Sankirtana and an invocation of Lord Chaitanya. As per folk lore, the king once saw the raas-leela in one of his visions, and named it the 'Maha-Raas'. His daughter, Vimbavati, popularly known as the 'Meera of Rajasthan', took on the role of Radha in the maha-raas which was dedicated to Lord Govindajee. She performed for 5 consecutive nights with the ritual culminating on the night of the full moon of Hiyangi (approximately November).
The image of Govindajee is significant not only as a religious symbol, but also as a vibrant center around which an entire civilization revolved and created a steady steam of learning, cultivation, and arts in all their configurations.
The Manipuri maha-raas is essentially lyrical. The principal singers are dancers who act as 'sakhis' and are supported in the singing by two 'sutradhaars'. The rasdhari usually play on an instrument called the poong, and shlokhas from the Bhagwad text are recited during the performance.
Pena - The pena is an instrument indigenous to Manipur. Usually it is played to the accompaniment of traditional ballads based on historical and devotional themes. Manipur has an epic of its own which deals with incarnations of the Supreme Being, and it is stories of these incarnations that are sung in the form of such ballads.

Artists:
S. Deepa Devi, 2. S, Jesmin Devi, K. Rebika Devi, H.Bidyalaxmi Devi, K. Rasheshwori Devi, R.K. Riya Devi, O. Ronika Devi, E. Sunilal Singh, KH. Yaipharemba Singh, R.K. Nicolle Singh, B. Morish Sharma, Ch. Surjit Singh, N. Surjit Singh, S. Deven Singh, K.Nandikumar Singh, R.K. Khogendra Singh (Team Leader).

Contact:
FACE: Saglband Tera Amudol Leirak, Imphal, Manipur Pin-795001
Mr. R.K. Khogendra Singh Ph. 09436033658, 09864163723

* Programme subject to change

Venue: NSD Premises Bahawalpur House, Bhagwandas Road, ND-1
Enquiry: 011-23389054 (23389402, 23382821 Ext. 37)