Dec 08 2024 to Dec 08 2024 4 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

Kattam Katti transports you to Uttarayan, the world-famous kite festival in Gujurat, North India, where millions of people from different cities, religions, and social classes come together to fly kites, marking the transition from winter into spring. Tapping into the competitive chaos, creativity, and colour of the event, the show brings to life the excitement of Uttarayan with lyricism, drama, and exquisite technique. It illustrates the highs and lows, loves and losses of the lives that are lived out among the festivities. Kite flying becomes a metaphor for the injustice of unevenly distributed privilege, in both the corporate world and society more generally.

Choreography: Urja Desai Thakore

Set Design: Simon Daw

Lighting Design: Hector Murray

Dramaturgy: Lou Cope

Costume Design: Urja Desai Thakore, Simon Daw, and Abha Desai

Original Creative Producer: Nina Head

Creative Producer: Lia Prentaki

Production Manager: Salvatore Scollo

Stage Manager: Ben Gray

Sound Engineer: Camilo Tirado

Lighting Technician: Chris Burr

Special thanks to Alap Desai, Chitra Sundaram, Michael Hulls, Parbati Chaudhry, Madhusoodanan Satchithannandan , Nina Head, and Eva Martinez Commissioned by Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London. Funded by Arts Council England and Milton Keynes Council, with partners MK Gallery, Creative Folkestone, University of Bedfordshire, Akademi, SouthEast Dance, SAA Arts UK and GemArts.

Performers

Pagrav Dance Company Kathak Institute

Pagrav Dance Company was originally established in Ahmedabad by Abha Desai. In 2005, her daughter, Urja Desai Thakore, reestablished the company in the UK, creating a platform for a contemporary, female-led vision of Kathak dance. It also serves as a vehicle for education, talent development, and nurturing future generations of professional artists. Pagrav revitalizes the classical form of Kathak within a modern British context, incorporating contemporary design and presentation. While tracing its roots back to traditional stories, the company celebrates the power of dance and dance-making to empower individuals and transform communities. Through a commitment to collaboration and close work with artists from other theatrical disciplines, Urja has built a company that encourages fresh perspectives on the discipline of Kathak. Pagrav honours the values of the past while embracing the aspirations of the future. The company aims to inspire South Asian communities to connect with their creativity and culture, and to share that rich heritage with people worldwide. Kattam Katti is a unique production that marks a new era in British Kathak, integrating dancers and musicians in an innovative way. It is a project that is very close to Urja’s heart, and she hopes audiences will enjoy learning more about this distinctive work.