October 2025
Songs of the Bulbul
11 Oct 2025, 19:30 Byham Theater, Pittsburgh, USA
Songs of the Bulbul, a new dance work by Aakash Odedra with choreography by Rani Khanam and music by Rushil Ranjan, is inspired by the ancient Sufi myth of a bulbul captured and held in captivity. The bird was bound ever closer and slowly perished through despair, singing more sweetly as its end drew nearer, until it uttered one final, heartbreaking and piercingly beautiful song just before it departed the mortal world. Thus ended the journey of the mythical bird, a tale of beauty born of loss and of freedom found only in the ultimate sacrifice. The beauty of this songbird’s melody serves as a metaphor for the fleeting moments of dance and an artist’s life. Rooted in the expansive music, dance, and poetry traditions of Sufism, this new work by two of the most outstanding Sufi Kathak artists performing in the world today emerges as a sensitive dialogue between the ferocious physicality of Kathak and the spiritual journey of Sufism, a path seeking unity with the Divine.
Songs of the Bulbul
18 Oct 2025 Penn Live Arts, Philadelphia, USA
Songs of the Bulbul, a new dance work by Aakash Odedra with choreography by Rani Khanam and music by Rushil Ranjan, is inspired by the ancient Sufi myth of a bulbul captured and held in captivity. The bird was bound ever closer and slowly perished through despair, singing more sweetly as its end drew nearer, until it uttered one final, heartbreaking and piercingly beautiful song just before it departed the mortal world. Thus ended the journey of the mythical bird, a tale of beauty born of loss and of freedom found only in the ultimate sacrifice. The beauty of this songbird’s melody serves as a metaphor for the fleeting moments of dance and an artist’s life. Rooted in the expansive music, dance, and poetry traditions of Sufism, this new work by two of the most outstanding Sufi Kathak artists performing in the world today emerges as a sensitive dialogue between the ferocious physicality of Kathak and the spiritual journey of Sufism, a path seeking unity with the Divine.
Little Murmur
25 Oct 2025 - 26 Oct 2025 John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D.C. USA
Diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age, Aakash felt different to those around him. Defined by his learning disability, not his abilities, dance became his mode of expression. Combining visual design and technology with dance and humour, Little Murmur explores the warped and exaggerated realities of living in a world that doesn’t reflect how you feel inside. Little Murmur is a stunning visual treat for young audiences and their families. Based on Aakash Odedra’s hugely moving show Murmur, as well as his own true story, this is an honest and heart felt conversation about the trials and tribulations of living with dyslexia and using the power of unique imagination to unlock the world of magic around you. Watch bodies and words fly like flocks of birds, a murmuration, a little murmur.
December 2025
Samsara
6 Dec 2025, 20:00 Memorial Hall- Carolina Performing Arts, USA
Samsara, inspired by the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, traces the steps we take, both forward and backward, in search of our higher selves. Drawing on thinking and imagery at the heart of Buddhist philosophy, it explores some of the 81 obstacles and 6 states of mind that can hold us back. Epic mythological storytelling merges with personal experience and anecdote from two globally opposite perspectives, in a highly visual landscape.
March 2026
Songs of the Bulbul
13 Mar 2026, 7:30pm Ruby Diamond Concert Hall, Florida, USA
Songs of the Bulbul, a new dance work by Aakash Odedra with choreography by Rani Khanam and music by Rushil Ranjan, is inspired by the ancient Sufi myth of a bulbul captured and held in captivity. The bird was bound ever closer and slowly perished through despair, singing more sweetly as its end drew nearer, until it uttered one final, heartbreaking and piercingly beautiful song just before it departed the mortal world. Thus ended the journey of the mythical bird, a tale of beauty born of loss and of freedom found only in the ultimate sacrifice. The beauty of this songbird’s melody serves as a metaphor for the fleeting moments of dance and an artist’s life. Rooted in the expansive music, dance, and poetry traditions of Sufism, this new work by two of the most outstanding Sufi Kathak artists performing in the world today emerges as a sensitive dialogue between the ferocious physicality of Kathak and the spiritual journey of Sufism, a path seeking unity with the Divine.
