Double Bill: You&Me | Bird
by Amina Khayyam Dance Company
About Double Bill: You&Me | Bird
A double bill of award winning and critically acclaimed contemporary Kathak weaving through a live music score telling stories that contradict all our natural instincts.
4 StarsPowerful & Captivating
The Scotsman for Bird
4 StarsLike all artforms, the dance world is always trying to re-invent itself and say something original. Rarely, however, does an entirely new subject matter come along - which is partly why You&Me is such a special work
The Scotsman for You&Me
You&Me
Man meets Man… discovering a state of happiness never felt before; but he has a wife and family at home. A dance duet featuring the spectacle of high energy Kathak and physicality of contemporary dance, is accompanied by a live music score of sitar, tabla and cello.
Steeped in Kathak’s rhythmic 'nritta' to shed light on on hidden struggles, You&Me uses lived experiences of marriages where a partner has concealed their sexuality for fear of bringing shame to the family. Following the female perspective, Amina Khayyam explores the pressure of hiding your true self and the barriers to overcome as a family.
Bird
Opening with a silent scream, Bird poses a question that crosses the mind of many women stuck in abusive relationships: “Where will I go?”, “Will anyone believe me?”. High energy Kathak weaves the story to a specially commissioned live music score.
Join us after the performance for a post-show talk, hosted by Shakila Maan from Southall Black Sisters.
About Amina Khayyam Dance Company
A critically acclaimed, award-winning touring company, the Amina Khayyam Dance Company makes touring work using Kathak as the core narrative. It works in collaboration with those who are culturally least engaged, economically challenged and societally disenfranchised - with a focus on the marginalised female voice, the company adds theatre, live art, and technology, striving to make relevant, engaging work through a process of collaboration, participation, and opportunities for creative and cultural expression- shaping a process that empowers women creatively as stakeholders. The work’s dramaturgy is explored through the sub-culture context of this process, to transpose to the mainstream audience, so that the targeted sector’s perspective, aspiration and voice is heard widely. Since its formation in 2013 has made 15 pieces of work, performed over 160 shows in over 40 venues (including outdoors), digital platforms, nationally and internationally.
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Cast and Creatives
You&Me
Choreography: Amina Khayyam
Music Composition: Jonathan Mayer
Dancers: Shayam Dattani and Giacomo Pini
Bird
Choreography: Amina Khayyam
Music Composition: Jonathan Mayer
Additional Music: John Marc Gowan
Dancers: Jane Chan, Jalpa Vala, Abirami Eswar, Mohika Shankar, Selene Travaglia and Amina Khayyam
Musicians: Debasish Mukherjee (tabla), Iain McHugh (cello) and Jonathan Mayer (sitar)
Lighting: Clare O'Donogue
Supported by Arts Council of England.