Musicians and Dancers inspired by historic LGBTQ stories from an epic at London art fest GFEST 2016.

A double-bill evening full of LGBTQI music and dance is at RADA Studios in Chenies Street on Saturday 19 November 2016

An annual platform for LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex) artists and organisations, the 9th GFEST - Gaywise FESTival ® runs Monday 7 – Saturday 19 November 2016 at venues across London.

The GFEST 2016 music and dance performance details are live on the GFEST website: http://www.gaywisefestival.org.uk/performance/

PERFORMANCES: ‘Marginal Play’

The evening starts with composer Benjamin Tassie performing his music set for acoustic instruments and electronics. He has also developed a new music piece for an original dance work ‘MARG - a pathway’ which concludes the double bill.

Specially commissioned for GFEST 2016, ‘MARG - a pathway’ dance work offers two narratives from the Indian epic Mahabharata, a dynamic contemporary interpretation exploring the ageless nature of gender fluidity and sexual diversity. Choreographed by Subodh Rathod, the work pushes gender specific movement boundaries and focuses on hitherto hidden historical narratives through dance; presented in collaboration with the University of Roehampton dance department.

This is a fundraiser event for GFEST 2016 and GFEST 2017 new commissions to ensure that GFEST becomes an even stronger platform for LGBTQI artists.

“In 2016, some artists and some LGBTQI people still feel that aspects of their ‘Out & Proud’ identities can be seen as marginalised and the contrast is explored in this year’s GFEST theme,” says GFEST artistic director Niranjan Kamatkar. “Despite all the fundraising challenges, we are still carrying on, putting forward a message that GFEST is there for the celebration of all LGBT performers, promoting artistic excellence at the heart of contemporary LGBTQI stories.”