Derbyshire premiere for dance production celebrating Diwali

Stories of Diwali: the Diwali experience will premiere at Derby’s Museum of Making on Friday, November 5, 2021 at 6pm.

This will be followed by performances at Holymoorside Village Hall in Chesterfield on Saturday November 6 at 6.30pm and then Number 28 Community Centre in Belper on Friday, November 19, again at 6.30pm.

Professional dancer Nisha Nath will take audiences on a journey through dance and movement - retelling the traditional mythological story of Rama and Sita using Kathak storytelling techniques, as well as exploring present day celebrations in Bollywood.

Everyone will then be invited to join a group Bollywood dance and try Diwali snacks to make the whole experience truly immersive.

Nisha Nath, chair of Surtal Arts and a celebrated South Asian dance artist, said: “Coming together to celebrate Stories of Diwali which is, essentially, a tale of light over dark, feels like the perfect way to celebrate this wonderful time of year and hopefully mark a point in time when we can start to put the worst of the pandemic behind us.

“I wanted to tell the traditional story with modern values, so I’ve decided to tell it from Sita’s perspective - the female character is the heroine of our story.

“Choreographing in pure Kathak style with semi-classical and Bollywood all in one production is a new feat, but so exciting.”

The production will feature new original choreography by Sandip Mallik and special music arrangement with Indian percussion and vocals.

To book tickets, visit www.surtalarts.co.uk/stories-of-diwali