In 2012, Bangalore had the best of music, dance and theatre. The year saw eminent artistes from all over the world perform in the City. The festive spirit engulfed Bangaloreans throughout the year and it seemed like people never got tired of it.
Classical hub
* Carnatic classical vocalist Bombay Jayashri visited the City along with her team in August. She was here to present a unique concert titled 'Listening to Life — the Journey of a Raga'. The programme also saw M D Pallavi, a City-based singer perform.
* Sitar maestro Late Ravi Shankar too performed in the City in February.
Music buffs were floored by his seamless and beautiful style.
* Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan performed in the City along with his sons Ayaan and Amaan in October. Showcasing various ragas in unique style, the trio enchanted music buffs.
* Mandolin artiste U Srinivas and sitar player Shahid Parvez delighted the audience at Chowdiah Memorial Hall in July. The hall was packed and the artistes received great appreciation.
* Chhote Rahimat Khan, a sitarist from Beenkar gharana enthralled Bangaloreans in May. He played many ragas nd gave an opportunity for the music lovers to enjoy the richness of industani classical music.
* Veteran Hindustani classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj left the audience spellbound with his dynamic voice and classic style when he performed at Chowdiah Memorial Hall in November.
* Ruhaniyat, a Sufi and mystic music festival, was held here in December. The festive season couldn't have been better as musicians from all over the world came together to create magic.
* Veteran thumri singer Girija Devi enthralled music connoisseurs in November. Her resonant style left quite an impact.
* Barkha Ritu, a classical concert, which had eminent artistes like Venkatesh Kumar and Hariprasad Chaurasia, gave a great start to the music fests in the City.
* Sitar artiste Anoushka Shankar mesmerised the audience with her ethereal style.
Bollywood comes calling
* Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam delighted the City with his popular numbers in the beginning of the year. He made the audience shake a leg with him as he performed.
* Singers Kumar Sanu and Alka Yagnik were in the City in April. The duo sang their popular numbers from the nineties leaving the audience asking for more.
* Singer Abhijeet, who was in the City in November, charmed the audience with his retro numbers. He rendered popular numbers like Main koi aisa geet gaon and many more.
Acts apart
* British playwright and actress Gwyneth Powell visited the City for a workshop on drama and speech.
* Lillete Dubey's 'August: Osage County' got quite an applause from the Bangalore audience.
* 'A Walk in the Woods', featuring Naseeruddin Shah and Rajit Kapoor and written by Ratna Pathak Shah, attracted the attention of many.
* 'Where did I leave my purdah?', a comic dance drama written by Mahesh
Dattani, was staged at Ranga Shankara.
Rib-tickling and hilarious, the play managed to give the audience a hearty laugh.
* 'Salt and Pepper', a play had actors like Mandira Bedi, Darshan Jakriwal, Kuki Grewal and Vikram Kochhar and Vikranth Pawar.
* 'Monty Python's Spamalot', a musical spoof on King Arthur and his knights of Camelot on a quest to find the Holy Grail, was greatly appreciated.
* 'Broken Images', a play featuring Shabana Azmi, was staged in the City. Written by Girish Karnad, the play was directed by Alyque Padamsee.
* A comic hip-hop show by Zak and Angelo was staged at Alliance Francaise.
* Hayavadana, a play written by Girish Karnad, was staged yet again.
International stars
* 'Harley Rock Riders season III', a music fest, was organised in the outskirts of the City in November. Youngsters did not seem to mind going the extra mile to attend the show.
* For metal fans, the highlights were Finnish band, 'Children of Bodom', who headlined the 'Great Indian Octoberfest'.
* 'Lamb of God', who came down for 'Nokia Alive 2012'; 'Slayer', who played at 'Rock 'n India'; 'Opeth', who performed at Summer Storm; 'Gojira' at the 'Indian Metal Festival'; 'Kreator' at the 'Bangalore Open Air' and last but not the least, 'Periphery' and 'Testament' at the 'NH7 Weekender' certainly made it a good year. 'Korn' and 'Wolf' also made their first India tours this season.
* Electronica fans were not disappointed either with the likes of David Guetta headlining the 'Eristoff Invasion festival'. Guetta's show was a crowd-puller. He performed here in March. 'Deep Forest''s recent set at Vivanta by Taj and of course, 'Above and Beyond''s 'Trance Around The World's 450th episode being aired from homeground was more than what Bangaloreans could ask for. Fatboy Slim also made an appearance in the City.
* Of course, the rock and pop fans cannot be forgotten, for whom the stage was set to watch legends like Carlos Santana and 'Guns 'n Roses' play live. For Santana's fans, it was a dream-come-true. Enrique Iglesias and 'Poets of the Fall' made it back here to please their fans. 'Fink', 'Third Eye Blind', 'Goldspot' and a bunch of indie Australian bands like 'Jinja Safari' and 'Big Scary' were also there.
* Reggae artiste Sean Paul offered much joy to his fans who attended his concert in huge numbers. The audience were seen letting their hair down at the concert.
* Pianist Kimball Gallagher was also here for a concert in October. Western classical lovers were in for a big treat as the pianist played some of the best of the classics.
* German DJs Daniel Haaksman, Ada and Coma performed in the City as part of the 'Electronica on Tour: India goes 3D'.
Inspiring music
* Pankaj Udhas mesmerised the audience with some unforgettable ghazals when he was in the City in March.
* Usha Uthup performed in the City in June. Zealous and energetic, the singer was full of life and her enthusiasm was infectious.
* Bangaloreans grooved to the power-packed performance of Remo Fernandes as he belted out some of his popular numbers here in October.
* Pakistani band 'Strings' and Indian band Parikrama performed in November.
Rhythm divine
* Japan's hip hop and contemporary dance artiste Kentaro performed in the City in April.
* Nadam organised a bharatanatyam recital by dancer and choreographer Bragha Bessell at ADA Ranga Mandira in May.
* In July, as the rains came, the dancers of Natya and Stem Kampini presented Jhoolan Yatra. The annual monsoon dance festival had an ensemble of dance forms from every nook and corner of the country.
* The contemporary dance group of Brigham Young University, 'Rhythm of Life', showcased a brilliant performance. The artistes danced to various rhythms which rule one's life. The troupe came to the City in August.
* Ganjam's 'Flights of Fantasy', a three-day music and dance extravaganza, was organised in November. It saw many forms of dance including contemporary and classical ones.
* The Embassy of Spain in India presented a Flamenco dance by acclaimed dancer as well as choreographer Eva Yerbabuena in November.
* Krishna, a dance recital was presented by actress Shobhana and her group in July. It was a mix of contemporary as well as traditional styles.
* Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts presented AadhaaraChakra, a dance-drama production this November. Directed by Jayachandran Palazhy, it saw the dancers embody characters from diverse backgrounds and time periods.