Ep. 17: Modern Mumbai; Musician Zakir Hussain & Choreographer Alonzo King; Playwright Natasha Gordon

Stance visits India to meet street educators, young LGBTQ activists and visual artists that are all changing the face of modern Mumbai. Plus we meet with with Grammy Award-winning musician, Zakir Hussain, and visionary choreographer, Alonzo King, at the world premiere of their new co-creation, Sutra to discuss the importance of artistic collaboration. Finally, we speak to actor and playwright, Natasha Gordon whose first ever play, Nine Night, is debuting at London’s prestigious National Theatre.

**Children taking lessons at the Navjyot Foundation street school in Bandra, Mumbai.**

We speak to Jyoti Kalle from the Navjyot Foundation which is a school on the streets of Bandra in Mumbai that has been running for twenty years. They educate local street children of mostly construction workers.

**Ramya Pandyan & Dr Ishmeet Nagpal from SXonomics. Image by Sagnik Ganguly**

We catch up with Ramya Pandyan (a.k.a. Idea Smith) and Dr.Ishmeet Nagpal from SXonomics - SXonomics is a feminist project that uses art and performance to address issues of gender politics, sexuality and more.

**Praful Baweja from Queer Azaadi Mumbai**

We also speak to Praful Baweja - one of the founders of the Queer Azadi Pride March to hear more about life in Mumbai for the LGBTQ community.

Lastly in Mumbai, we speak to visual artist, Sameer Kulavoor the founder and director of Bombay Duck Designs, an independent illustration design studio & self-publishers. He is also the co-founder and editor of 100%ZINE celebrating artists from India and beyond.

**Series 6 Acrylic on Canvas, 6 x 6 inches (each), 2017**

His first solo exhibition at Tarq Gallery called A Man From the Crowd documents the changing character of the city, through illustration, paint and sculpture.

Stance meets Grammy Award-winning musician, Zakir Hussain, and visionary ballet choreographer, Alonzo King, at the world premiere of their new co-creation, Sutra. They discuss the importance of artistic collaboration.

We profile actor and playwright Natasha Gordon to talk about her brilliant debut play Nine Night at the National Theatre. Directed by Roy Alexander Weise with a cast including Cecilia Noble, Nine Night is a touching and very funny exploration of the rituals of family and mourning within Jamaican culture.