By: Su Carroll
There’s a reason why Strictly Come Dancing is so popular with many of us – and it’s nothing to do with sequins and fake tan. It connects us with the natural motion that is in us all – that primeval need to experience movement; the rhythm of life.
Many cultures have their own dance histories. Passed down through generations, they are wordless expressions of meaning and emotion. Sonia Sabri brings her work, Roshni, to The Drum – dance that is rooted in the traditions of Kathak from Northern India, reimagined in the context of her lived British experience.
There is a purity and simplicity to this performance: Roshni is from the Persian word meaning light or brilliance. Here is Sonia accompanied by Sarvar Sabri on tabla, Sam Slater on guitar and oud (a kind of Middle Eastern lute) and Dominic O’Sullivan on clarinet and flute. That’s it. No props, no scenery and no complicated lighting.
The hypnotic live music and Sonia’s dance, which includes an element of improvisation, draws you in and washes over you. She entreats the audience to forget about everything else that is happening in the world, and for 80 mesmerising minutes you do.
The storytelling is divided into three distinct pieces. The Call introduces us to Kathak dance – the energy, the passion, the emotion. The Light takes us to another world and shows us the beauty around us. Trees, rivers, animals, birds, flowers all come to life through Sonia’s movement. The Waves offers an uplifting finale. There is hope, there is love, there is peace. The audience is coaxed – somewhat reluctantly at first – to experience the rhythms by copying Sonia’s handclaps. They morph easily into loud applause. Our thanks for transporting us from a harsh reality into a new world.