The Indian leg of Akademi’s tour kicked off at Jaipur’s Majestic Hawa Mahal Palace, with the World premiere of The Troth- Usne Kaha Tha which turned out to be a major highlight of the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / PRURGENT
New Delhi, India, 13thFebruary, 2018 – Akademi’s The Troth, inspired by a gripping and poignant Hindi short story from World War I, received an astounding response in the capital city when it was showcased through a dance performance at the Rashtrapati Bhawan today. The evocative sound score, powerful dance and a film using archive and new silent footage, won the hearts of patrons, taking forward Team Akademi’s Indian saga!
The Indian leg of Akademi’s tour kicked off at Jaipur’s Majestic Hawa Mahal Palace, with the World premiere of The Troth- Usne Kaha Tha which turned out to be a major highlight of the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival.
Founded in 1979 by the legendary Tara Rajkumar, Akademi has been taking South Asian dance to unexpected places in the UK ever since. Today, theirpassion burns brighter than ever as they bring their work to India for the first time! Connecting South Asian dance with the wider contemporary arts sector, Akademi engages with social, political and cultural agendas in the UK to achieve its real im-pact. Apart from creating spectacular shows, they successfully run dance and movement based pro-grammes for older people, specially those suffering from dementia, and young children.
Through powerful dance theatre, The Troth tells a story of love, loss and sacrifice against the back-drop of the horror and conflict of World War I.Inspired by the classic Hindi short story Usne Kaha Tha (written in 1915 by Chandradhar Sharma Guleri), the action moves from the intense life and co-lour of rural India to the horrific darkness of the trenches in Belgium where young Indian men have been brought to fight for the Allied Forces. As the drama unfolds, we learn about the secret promise made by one soldier, Lehna Singh, as he makes the ultimate sacrifice to save another.
Drawing from the concepts of film noir and the era of black and white films, The Troth weaves its poignant narrative through dance, music and film.
Speaking on the occasion, Mira Kaushik, Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Em-pire & Director of Akademi, “Usne Kaha Tha is a classic Hindi literature, loved by millions. Our pro-duction will be a powerful ‘living silent film’,and is Akademi’s first theatre show after nearly 20 years of primarily outdoor performances. This Indo-UK artistic collaboration has galvanized partners from both countries – including Arts Council England, British Council, the Government of India’s Ministries of Culture and External Affairs, and the British Army – to reveal the vital contribution made by Indian soldiers inWorld War I”.
Over 1.3 million Indians contributed active service over the course of World War I and were the larg-est voluntary force ever assembled. Their losses were staggering. The Troth reveals the contribution and human cost of Indian soldiers to the allied war effort. British Armed Forces have advised the creative team on military training, movement, aesthetics and music of the period.
Award-winning director and choreographer Gary Clarke is acclaimed for his compelling works of narrative dance theatre, most recently with COAL based on the miners’ strike. Clarke’s emotionally direct and physical approach to storytelling and character is notable in contemporary dance.
For The Troth, he collaborates with dramaturg Lou Cope to tell the soldier’s story, using archive war-time footage and new subtitled films by Josh Hawkins to unfold the narrative. They set the scene for viscerally powerful dance from six dancers of diverse backgrounds and training within an evocative soundscape created by BASCA award-winner Shri Sriram who laces his original composition with sounds from World War I and Indian folk music.
The cast includes Kathak dancer Vidya Patel, finalist in BBC Young Dancer of the Year 2015 who has recently performed to great acclaim with Richard Alston Dance Company.
The Troth marks the centenaries of World War I (1914-18), Indian cinema (1913) and the first Hindi short story (1915). It is rooted in the most recent academic research and in-depth cultural exchange. Leading academics and experts who have contributed to the project are Amarjit Chandan (Poet and academic), DrSantanu Das (literary specialist and historian at Kings College London specialising in World War I), Tripurari Sharma (Professor of Acting at the National School of Drama, Delhi) and Ashok Sagar Bhagat (Professor of Theatre Architecture at the National School of Drama, Delhi) and Jasdeep Singh (Community Curator, National Army Museum).
Lt. Col Jo Young, the British Army’sOfficer for the Arts, says: “The British Army is thrilled to sup-port the production of The Troth. It tells a vital piece of World War I history and speaks volumes about shared heritage. Army musicians are involved in the sound score, contributing military themes and authenticity to the fantastic composition by Shri, and soldiers who were working with the dancers to assist them in the portrayal of drill, PT and movement under fire.”
The Troth- Usne Kaha Tha is a part of UK-India Culture Year and Re-imagine India. Akademi has also been commissioned by The Space to release a digital film of The Troth, which will enable the show to reach its global audience.
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Notes to Editor(s):
1.Akademi is a progressive South Asian dance organisation, based in London. It aims to inspire audiences and change lives by creating and nurturing excellence in classical, contemporary, popular and participatory South Asian dance. Akademi’sprogrammes bring South Asian dance to mainstream attention, capturing the public’s imagination through inspiring storytelling and unique spectacle. It creates talent pathways for the next generation of dance artists, and takes South Asian dance to the heart of the community, creating life-affirming experiences for those who are disadvantaged, disengaged or isolated.
2.The Troth is funded by Arts Council England; Ministry of Culture, Government of India; Armed Forces Covenant Fund; Cockayne Grants for the Arts through the London Community Foundation; PRS for Music Foundation; ICCR; and Air India.
3.Partners include UK-India Year of Culture; British Council; The Space; Imperial War Museum; National Army Museum; The Nehru Centre, London; Watermans Arts Centre; Teamwork Arts; UstadAllaudin Khan Sangeet Evam Kala Academy and Vivechana Theatre Group.
Production Credits for The Troth:
Produced by: Akademi
Direction and Choreography: Gary Clarke
Assistant Director: Daniel Hay-Gordon
Dramaturgy: Lou Cope
Music: Shri Sriram
Film: Josh Hawkins
Lighting design: Charles Webber
Costume design: Abha Desai
Producer: Penny Andrews
Cast: Daniel Hay-Gordon, Deepraj Singh, Dom Coffey, Songhay Toldon, Subhash VimanGorania, Vidya Patel |
