Songs of the Bulbul

This 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 (nightingale) captured and held in captivity.

Birdsong is ephemeral – like dance, it exists only in the moment— sung once, then lost to time. Bulbuls hold a special place in Persian culture, with their song representing a spiritual seeker, yearning for union with the divine. Their passionate songs are often directed towards the rose, symbolising both earthly beauty and the divine beloved and highlighting the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment.

A sensitive, beautiful dialogue between Sufi Kathak music that seamlessly blends orchestral and Indian Classical tradition and Islamic Poetry, Songs of the Bulbul asks 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?

‘★ ★ ★ ★ ★ …the kind of theatrical moment that stays with you forever.’ The Scotsman