The heavy monsoon rains of India take over the country on an annual basis. Amidst the damage and destruction, the monsoon season is filled with celebration, including dance, music, theatre, film and festivals. The welcoming of this captivating and spiritual force dates back thousands of years in India. Vancouver is also known for its heavy rainfall. With the intersection of these two natural phenomena, albeit at different times of the year, the goal is to celebrate the monsoon here in the Lower Mainland by welcoming the storm with the 2nd annual Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts, presented by South Asian Arts Society.

In its second year, the Monsoon Arts Festival runs from August 6-13 in Vancouver and Surrey, with a deliberate spotlight on South Asian theatre. South Asian Canadians are the largest visible minority group in Canada, yet a simple scan of Vancouver’s performing arts community suggests that there are very few South Asian theatre professionals currently working in our industry.

Monsoon Arts Festival is unique, given that no other broadly-focused South Asian performing arts festival exists in Canada. During a span of 8 days festival highlights include; a critically acclaimed, one-woman play, Burq Off! (New York), which has toured internationally; and to close the festival, an Indian classical dance drama Malavika performed in Hindi at Surrey Arts Centre, presented in partnership with dance troupe Nrityenakatha.

Aside from the presentations, community engagement is another key pillar of the festival. This year, we are expanding our offering of development workshops, which include the areas of dramaturgy, playwriting, directing, acting, dancing and music.

In future years, audiences can look forward to a multidisciplinary arts festival inclusive of dance, music, visual, experimental and interdisciplinary arts, showcasing Canadian South Asian artists and talents, along with a few handpicked international productions.