BIRD

About

Powerful dance show BIRD is at Norden Farm Centre for the Arts on Wednesday 18 November at 7.30pm. Tickets are £18 (plus a £1.90 per transaction booking fee).

BIRD is the stage sequel to critically acclaimed dance film Catch The Bird Who Won’t Fly, choreographed by Amina Khayyam. This critically acclaimed show is a winner of the Lustrum Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023.

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?’ Connected to the experiences of domestic violence survivors, the desire to break free is accompanied by uncertainty about the future.

BIRD started 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?’ A question often targeted at the stigma and cultural pressure in communities of those who escape it or try to.

High energy Kathak weaves the story to a specially commissioned live music score by Jonathan Mayer, featuring Sohini Alam on vocals and Debasish Mukherjee on tabla.

Presented by the Amina Khayyam Dance Company (AKDC), who make touring dance theatre, using the South Asian dance Kathak as the core narrative. AKDC develops work with a focus on the marginalised female voice – developing ideas for performances from the dance workshops produced with women’s groups in Luton, Slough, Woking, East London and Birmingham.

The stories in BIRD are forever relevant but seem even more so in current times. The piece tells these stories with the compassion and energy of Kathak and the power of the original live music.