URBAN LAYAS presents The Colour of Desire

Bold, Rebellious and Stereotype busting!

Seven female voices performing a repertoire of songs that will shatter your understanding of Indian classical music forever!

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THE COLOUR OF DESIRE presented by URBAN LAYAS is a two hour exploration of female desire in South Asian music and poetry, through a unique combination of vocal, instrumental and dance performances by some of Melbourne’s emerging artists. From fun and frivolous to deeply romantic and even tortured, The Colour of Desire reclaims female sexuality in all its hues, puts it back in the bodies and voices of real women, and engages with the question of the gap between the sexually liberated female voice in music and contemporary representations in everyday life.

“Our aim is to use poetry and performance to engage audiences in a powerful and long overdue conversation about gender equality and cultural sexual repression, and, in particular, give agency to women of South Asian backgrounds to speak openly about the challenges they face.” Says URBAN LAYAS member Aparna Ananthuni

Although a taboo and an euphemised subject for the last century, female sexual desire is nevertheless woven into the very heart and soul of South Asian poetics since 300 BCE, and it is a voice that is complex and multi-faceted, and incredibly modern in its recognition of female sexual agency.

Playing with both Western and South Asian music traditions, and also featuring guest performances by spoken word artist Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa, Kuchipudi dancer Shyama Sasidharan, visual artist Anindita Banerjee, and dancer and academic Dr Priya Srinivasan, ‘The Colour of Desire’ defies conventional categories, and makes the classical contemporary in ways you’ve never seen before.

All proceeds from the night will be donated to feature documentary Geeta www.geetafilm.com to help with post production.