Song of the Bulbul

This intense, highly controlled, deeply meaningful scrumptious feast for the senses begins and ends in silence and darkness. Aakash Odedra takes every moment in between and fills each with precise, energetic and considered movement which carries the audience beyond the ordinary.

His movement embodies inspiration from an ancient Sufi myth about a nightingale. The dance follows the nightingale from birth to death. It calls the audience to consider the many aspects of freedom, what it means to be confined and posits a way through the imposts of life to a final spiritual awakening in death.

The movement is grounded in song and music, both of which contribute to the sensual completeness of the performance. A deep and nuanced understanding of silence and the possibilities of rhythm to engage the audience is engagingly demonstrated.

The simple staging including candles, many, many red petals and a suggestion of a cage give just enough structure to support the dancer.

The clever and sensitive lighting provides some of the drama and interacts with the dancer and the full skirted costume to create an egg, wings, a cage, many changes in atmosphere and ultimately a soul on its way after death.

This performance is a beautiful yet searing reminder to the audience to consider their life journey while it nestles them in beauty.

Ruth Richter

Images:  Sydney Opera House (@sydneyoperahouse). Photographer: Ken Leanfore.