Author Archives: Ursula India is home to a number of classical dance and drama forms: usually enacting stories from Hindu mythology, and each conforming to an ancient Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts. Each has its own distinctive regional roots. In Kerala, Kathakali takes its place as a nationally recognised art form, known for its elaborate makeup, stylised […]  There is magic in the rocks and trees of Haida Gwaii in Canada’s British Columbia (BC). The people of the Haida Nation have lived here for at least 13,000 years – although ninety percent of the population died in the 1800s from smallpox, thanks to the first European contact in 1774. The islands were important […]  I’m not the first to say it, but music crosses boundaries: the boundaries of time and place. One of the things I always loved about the annual Easter long weekend Byron Bay Bluesfest music festival was the cross-section of ages, styles, and origins, of the performers – and of the audience members. The family-friendly event always […]  It was a trip I’d been anticipating for a long time: an ocean voyage on a small ship to visit remote West Papuan villages and to snorkel in the marine-rich waters around Raja Ampat and the Spice Islands. The chance to swim with giant whale sharks was what had sold me on this particular itinerary. […]  Bluesfest desk tapes 2018-2024 by Hussy Hicks Music can serve to both describe our pain and lift us out of it. For me, the highlights of this year’s annual Easter long weekend Byron Bay Bluesfest were the “story artists”: those musicians whose performances feel personal, and for whom the lyrics are as important as the […] |
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