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Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts turns digital for fifth anniversary

The festival celebrates South Asian artists and performers
22165901_web1_MonsoonFest-workshop
This year’s Monsoon Festival will still feature workshops but from the comfort of participants’ homes as the festival turns digital for 2020. (South Asian Arts Society)

A performing arts festival celebrating South Asian artists and performers is going digital for its fifth anniversary.

For the fifth annual Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts, the South Asian Arts Society decided to take the celebration online, which will expand its reach beyond the Lower Mainland, as well as keep festival participants safe as Canada continues the fight against COVID-19.

“South Asians are the largest visible minority group in Canada, yet there are few South Asian professionals currently working in the arts,” the society’s executive director and Monsoon Festival producer Gurpreet Sian.

“In 2016, we initiated the Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts to provide South Asian artists with a platform on which to showcase and amplify their creative work and collaborate with some of the most accomplished artists in the industry. This year, we’re excited to be expanding our reach across Canada with our first-ever digital edition of the festival.”

The festival will run throughout August, celebrating and supporting the next generation of South Asian artists while educating the wider community on the power of South Asian art. Festival attendees can look forward to Canadian and international dance, music, theatre, comedy, talks, visual art, as well as development workshops and classes.

Some of the event highlights include the Monsoon Marketplace, which will be hosted online and will support local artists. Artists will also discuss their artistic process through live chats throughout the day on August 1.

Monsoon Talks, featuring Stellar Beauty founder Monika Deol and Grammy and Juno award-winning singer-songwriter Chin Injeti will be live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube. A comedy night will also be live-streamed through Monsoon Festival’s Facebook and YouTube pages.

South Asian Arts Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating performance and educational opportunities for professional and amateur artists.

For more information on the events, as well as to register for free, visit Monsoon Festival’s website.

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Twila Amato
Video journalist, Black Press Okanagan
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Twila Amato

About the Author: Twila Amato

Twila was a radio reporter based in northern Vancouver Island. She won the Jack Webster Student Journalism Award while at BCIT and received a degree in ancient and modern Greek history from McGill University.
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