New Sufi Kathak dance work Songs of The Bulbul to be staged at Nottingham Playhouse
An ancient myth of a songbird’s captivity is to be explored in a brand-new dance performance.
Aakash Odedra Company’s Songs of the Bulbul, with choreography by Rani Khanam and music by Rushil Ranjan, will be performed at Nottingham Playhouse on June 3.
This new work by two of the most outstanding Sufi Kathak — a blend of classical Indian dance Kathak and mystical Sufi poetry — artists performing in the world today, explores the relationship between the ferocious physicality of Kathak and the spiritual journey of Sufism, a path seeking unity with the divine.
Inspired by the ancient Sufi myth of a bulbul captured and held in captivity, the work poses a universal question: Will we, like the caged bird, remain bound to the material world, or will we soar towards a higher existence of liberation?
In the tale, the bird slowly perished through despair, singing more sweetly, until it uttered one final, heart-breaking and piercingly beautiful song just before it departed the world — its freedom found only in the ultimate sacrifice.
The beauty of the songbird’s melody serves as a metaphor for the fleeting moments of dance and an artist’s life, and invites audiences on a journey from Persia to the subcontinent, from freedom to captivity, and the soul’s journey towards divine love and enlightenment.