Culture Monday - Welcoming spring through culture, dance, and music!

Not open to the public on Mondays, this is a unique opportunity to enjoy the Museum galleries at a quiet time and to get closer to its collections, guided by members of the Visitor Team and by our wonderful volunteers.

After several editions of the Culture Mondays, we can proudly affirm that this programme has become a favourite among audiences over 50 years old, and we endeavour to offer on each session a variety of enjoyable activities for people to participate in, and also space and flexibility for those who prefer to visit some of the Museum galleries at their own pace.

For this Monday 23rd of March session, we are working in collaboration with the Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama and the institution for Indian Culture Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Manchester.

In the morning, the programmed activities at the Museum will be linked with South Asia Gallery and South Asian Culture. We offer:

- Kathak dance workshop

From the word ‘Katha’ -story- this form of dance is more popular in the north of India. Recounting mythical and religious stories, these bards travelled across villages entertaining and education the masses. Usually accompanied by Tabla and Sitar, it has travel both time and cultures and there have been many fusions of Kathak with Flamenco and Samba.

No previous experience needed for joining!

- Tours in South Asia Gallery

The South Asia Gallery, a British Museum partnership, presents a compelling, contemporary take on South Asian and British Asian culture. It is the first permanent gallery in the UK to celebrate the experiences and contribution of the South Asian diaspora, and it displays world-class material from the British Museum alongside the best of South Asian collections in Manchester.

Tours delivered by the Museum Visitor Team.

Belonging Gallery, Chinese Culture Gallery, Archaeology Gallery and Egypt and Sudan Gallery will be open to visitors.

In the afternoon, we will head off to the Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama -just round the corner from the Museum- to enjoy a concert by the University of Manchester resident klezmer ensemble, performing a programme of modern and traditional arrangements of music originating in Eastern European Yiddish cultures.

The traditional instrumental music of the Jews of Eastern Europe, referred to as ‘klezmer’ , can be traced to the Middle Ages. It was introduced to the U.S. by immigrants in the late 1800s–early 1900s and is widely popular today. The primary instruments are clarinets, fiddles, various brass instruments and the tsimbl ―a variant of the hammered dulcimer.

This is the schedule of the day:

-10:30 am. Arrival and welcome

-10:40 am. Activities starting at the South Asia Gallery and Main Hall:

• Tours in South Asia Gallery:

-10:40 – 11 am

-11:40 – 12 pm

• Kathak dance workshop in Main Hall:

-10:40 - 11:15 am

-11:25 - 12:00 pm

-12:00 pm. Break. Tea and coffee provided (Main Hall and Picnic Area)

-12:45 pm. Gathering at the Main Hall and heading off to the Martin Harris Centre

-1:10 pm. Klezmer concert starts

-2 pm. Finish

Please note the Museum Cafe is closed of Mondays. We will provide tea and coffee, and you are more than welcome to bring your packed lunch.

The Museum Shop will be open until 12:45 pm.

This event can be booked via Eventbrite, by emailing [email protected] or by calling 07818 578 474

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