Seeta
Patel re-imagines the iconic ballet in Indian Dance UK tour
The
Rite Of Spring
Newcastle
Dance City
Thursday
9th May 2019
Award-winning choreographer and performer Seeta Patel has
reimagined the iconic ballet, The Rite of Spring in the powerful classical
Indian dance style, Bharatanatyam. With
a cast of six outstanding performers, the opens at Newcastle Dance City on May
9th as the start of a UK tour.
Composer Igor Stravinsky wrote The Rite of Spring, the
ballet and orchestral concert – widely considered to be his masterpiece - for
the 1913 season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. When it premiered at the Théâtre des
Champs-Élysées in Paris, the avantgarde nature of the music and choreography
caused a sensation and continues to be influential over a century later.
“The Rite of Spring
has been choreographed by many different artists and companies over the years,”
says Seeta Patel. “Nijinsky, Pina
Bausch, Maurice Bejart to name a few.
But this will be the first time ever it will be done with the
Bharatanatyam dance form. I’m really
excited to be bringing my first upscaled work to premiere at Newcastle’s Dance
City. It will be my first time
presenting work at this amazing venue; it’s been a joy to rehearse in the
lovely theatre there too.”
 |
| Seeta Patel |
Patel’s production is set to be an exciting flirtation
between East and West as it looks beyond notions of the exotic and orientalist
perceptions of Eastern classical arts. The piece will showcase some of the
finest international Indian classical dance talent in an exciting bridge
between two very technical, powerful and evocative art forms: Western classical
music and Indian classical dance. Seeta
Patel will bring a transformative re-telling of this tale through intricate rhythmic
footwork, expressive prowess, geometric and dynamic movement.
Stravinsky’s epic score gains a fresh perspective in Seeta
Patel’s production through the use of Bharatanatyam, the dancers’ knowledge of
Indian classical music to interpret the rhythms, and production design
referencing the parched earth, the need for spring rain and the birth of new
life. “We’ve played with lighting design and makeup effects and our two costume
designers, who live in Bangalore, have inspired the look of the production with
their beautiful textures,” says Seeta.
Patel’s The Rite of Spring brings together four of London’s
key organisations: principal sponsor the Bagri Foundation, and co-commissioners
the Place, Sadler’s Wells, and Akademi. “I’m thrilled that this project has
captured the imagination of our partners,” says Seeta Patel. “The idea was formed in 2017 following a seed
commission from Akademi so it’s a joy to upscale and present it in London to
celebrate Akademi’s 40th anniversary.
This is my first time working with the Bagri Foundation; however,
Sadler’s Wells first presented my classical work in their Wild Card series in
2014, followed by a reprisal of the full-length show as part of the Darbar Festival
in 2017. The Place presented Not
Today’s Yesterday, my one-woman show in collaboration with Lina Limosani in
October 2018. We hope this unique
partnership will attract a breadth of audiences from across the city. We’ll be rehearsing The Rite of Spring in the
Place studios in the lead up to the tour and I’m already proud and humbled to
think we’ll be able to create the work in such an iconic dance venue.”
Photos by Joe Armitage
Cast
and creatives:
Choreographer and Artistic Director Seeta Patel
Dancers Chris
Gurusamy, Indu Panday, Kamala Devam, Moritz Zavan, Sarah Gasser, Sooraj
Subramaniam
Lighting Designer
Warren Letton
Costume Designer
Jason and Anshu Arora
Producer Sarah
Shead, Spin
Arts Project Manager
Hayley Youell
The
Rite Of Spring – Tour Dates:
May 9th Newcastle,
Dance City www.dancecity.co.uk
May 10th Ipswich, Jerwood DanceHouse www.danceeast.co.uk/the-dancehouse
May 12th Leicester, Curve Theatre www.curveonline.co.uk
May 13th Salford, The Lowry www.thelowry.com
May 14th Birmingham Patrick Centre http://livebrum.co.uk/venues/the-patrick-centre
May 16th Bournemouth, Pavilion Dance South West https://surfthewaveuk.org.uk
May 17th 18th London, The Place www.theplace.org.uk
May 21st Nottingham Lakeside Arts Centre www.lakesidearts.org.uk
May 23rd Bradford Kala Sangam www.kalasangam.org
Newcastle Dance City Tickets:
Free Pre-show Talk: https://www.dancecity.co.uk/performance/99499/the-rite-of-spring-pre-show-talk/
Tickets: £16.50; £8.00 students & under 18s; £13.00
concession
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