Songs of the Bulbul
Company production | 2024
Currently touring
8 – 10 Apr 2025 – Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham
29 – 30 Apr 2025 – Curve Theatre, Leicester
6 May 2025 – Lowry, Salford
12 – 13 May 2025 – The Mount Without, Bristol
16 – 17 May 2025 – Brighton Dome Corn Exchange, Brighton
20 – 21 May 2025 – Norwich Theatre Playhouse, Norwich
29 May 2025 – Salisbury Playhouse, Salisbury
3 June 2025 – Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham
2 July 2025 – Oxford Playhouse, Oxford
17-19 July 2025 – Sadler’s Wells East, London
Birdsong is ephemeral – like dance, it exists only in the moment— sung once, then lost to time.
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.
A sensitive, beautiful dialogue between Sufi Kathak, music that seamlessly blends orchestral and Indian Classical tradition, and Islamic Poetry, Songs of the Bulbul invites audiences to witness a transformation transcending physical boundaries towards enlightenment. Through a journey from Persia to the subcontinent, from freedom to captivity, and the soul’s journey towards divine love and enlightenment, Odedra poses a universal question: Will we, like the caged bird, remain bound to the material world, or will we soar towards a higher existence of liberation, and the divine?
For more information about booking the show contact Megan Maw at megan@aakashodedra.com
Credits
Dancer
Aakash Odedra
Choreographer
Rani Khanam
Composer/Musical Director
Rushil Ranjan
Set Designer & Stage Manager
Emanuele Salamanca
Lighting Designer & Dramaturg
Fabiana Piccioli
Costume Designer
Kanika Thakur
Rehearsal Director
Dheerendra Tiwari
Music performed by Manchester Camerata conducted by Melvin Tay
Vocals
Sarthak Kalyani, Abi Sampa
Choral vocals
Rushil Ranjan, Aakash Odedra
Additional instrumentation
Janan Sathiendran (tabla), Praveen Prathapan (bansuri)
Additional composition
Abi Sampa, Danyal Dhondy, Shuheb Hasan, Amaan Ali
Mixed and mastered by Andrea Gobbi at Gloworm Studios
Additional composition on Yaare Mann and Forest by Shuheb Hasan and Amaan Ali
Original Producer
Megan Maw
Production Manager
Salvatore Scollo
Photography
Kuldeep Goswami & Angela Grabowska
Videography
Danielle Bower
Trailer
Subhash Viman Gorania
Presented in association with Manchester Camerata. It is supported by Jacob’s Pillow and was created in part during a residency at the Pillow Lab at Jacob’s Pillow.
