KATHAK MONOLOGUES by Amina Khayyam Dance Company

Amina Khayyam Dance Company KATHAK MONOLOGUES Two short Kathak dance pieces, thematic from a south Asian feminist perspective, written & choreographed by AMINA KHAYYAM YOU&ME – In a same sex relationship, an ordinary guy wrestles to confront all that, that prevents him to be with his lover.

The piece features a duet using kathak and cotemporary movement exploring cultural baggage, taboos and issues around LGBTQ BIRD – A stage sequel to AKDC’s critically acclaimed digital film Catch The Bird Who Won’t Fly – started started life in a workshop with a women’s community group where a participant asked –“What happens to a woman when she runs away from domestic abuse?”

That question was impactful; the tone, the nervousness in her voice, the looking away after she asked the question… expressing the weight of cultural social stigma that surrounds escaping abuse.

Jane Chan is joined by Jalpa Vala and Sushma Vala in a scalding emphatic kathak fluence-d movement to live original music by Jonathan Mayer played on tenor sitar and cello by Iain McHugh.

Recommend to watch ‘Catch The Bird who Won’t Fly’ on YouTube before you see this piece. Nominated for the National Dance Awards 2022 for Best Independent Dance Company, Amina Khayyam Dance (AKDC)’s mission is to make touring dance theatre work using the South Asian dance 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, not just from the mainstream but from within their own community. AKDC is the resident artist at Brunel Arts.