Seeta Patel Dance has reimagined Stravinsky’s iconic ballet ‘The Rite of Spring’ in the powerful classical Indian dance style Bharatanatyam. 6 dancers make this 33 minute pagan folk story celebrating the bridge between cultures, technical, powerful and evocative – Western classical music and Indian classical dance.
The work sees bharatanatyam and western classical music at its best, celebrating life and nature through dramatic ensemble work, intricate rhythmic footwork, detailed expression, geometry and dynamic movement.
An exciting flirtation between East and West, showcasing some of the finest bharatanatyam talent, innovating with the traditional and celebrating diversity, & showcasing Britain’s leading work within diasporic arts.
Part 1 – is like a game, no-one knows who the chaser is or who is being chased. The excitement is palpable, dancers youthful and full of hope, being pushed and pulled by the energy around them. The music guides the pathways and patterns: frantic searching, joyful play, reverent submission to a higher force.
Mercurial, unexpected, never allowing the audience or dancers to rest. Giving themselves to the violent yet energising ebb and flow of the music.
Part 2 – follows the journey the Chosen One must take, a sense of fate, duty, inevitability. The Sacrificed becomes the Divine unto whom we must all submit. The Mother, the Earth, the Goddess, Nature herself.
Stravinsky’s score: a visceral, pulsating heart filled with the life force of the Earth and all who reside within her.
