LONDON, ENGLAND, August 22, 2007: Sculptures of bells, Kathak dancers and aerial dancers were innovatively brought together to create an amazing hour-long theatrical and dance spectacle at Trafalgar Square. Bells, an event in the three-week-long Trafalgar Square Festival, part of three-month India Now festival, was a successful attempt at collaborations between artiste Naresh Kapuria, Kathak dancers linked to Akademi and aerial dancers of Belgium’s Theatre Toll.
The idea for the spectacle was conceptualized by Akademi director Mira Kaushik, who was presented with an honorary Order of the British Empire this year. Internationally-acclaimed Indian artiste Naresh Kapuria’s five sculptures, featuring hundreds of bells, were integrated into a dance piece choreographed by Kathak dancer Kumudini Lakhia and the music was composed by Atul Desai. It was a beautiful start to an amazing piece of creativity and was enhanced by tinkling of infinite bells on the sculptures and the bells tied on the ghungroos of eight Kathak dancers.
The combination of Kathak dancers, dressed in traditional bright Indian clothes, and eight aerial dancers, dressed in all white, dancing above across the black London skyline was amazing. Directed by Lot Seuntjens, eight aerialist dancers, hanging from a huge crane, seemed to light the sky with their fairy-like presence above the energetic Kathak dancers and the jugalbandi of music and dance was spellbinding.