Brussels: Yakshagana, the traditional theatre form from coastal Karnataka, has reached a new stage in Europe with a full-length performance in English in Belgium. The show was organised during a cultural programme hosted by the Embassy of India in Belgium.
The presentation was led by Yakshadhruva Patla Foundation Europe, which had earlier staged Yakshagana in German in Germany. With this, the group has now brought the art form to English-speaking audiences in Europe through a complete story performance.
Yakshagana is usually performed in Kannada and is known for its elaborate costumes, strong narrative style and live music. While English versions of Yakshagana have been performed earlier in India and other places by P.V. Aithal’s team, this is the first time that a full story has been staged in English in Europe.
The team presented the Hanumarjuna episode from the Mahabharata in a one-hour format. The script was adapted into simple English so that a wider audience could follow the story, while the traditional format was maintained. The background music remained in Kannada.
The performance was led by Yakshagana artist Ajeeth Prabhu, who heads Yakshadhruva Europe. Under his leadership, the group has been organising shows across different countries and working to introduce Yakshagana to new audiences, including non-Kannada speakers and members of the Indian diaspora.
Yakshadhruva Europe has been presenting performances in multiple languages including Kannada, Tulu, Konkani, German and now English, as part of its efforts to widen the reach of the art form.
The Belgium performance featured Ajeeth Prabhu as Hanuman, Kishore Matagodu as Arjuna, Narendra Shenoy as Brahmana and Sreedhar Achar as Rama.
The programme also included a Bharatanatyam performance by Shilpa Abhiram.
Venkateshan Narayanan, Counsellor at the Embassy of India in Belgium, appreciated the initiative and said the effort helped take the traditional art form to a wider international audience while preserving its original character.
