Songs of the Bulbul

“A tribute to my mother “Kay”… my smiling bulbul who left her cage.”
Aakash Odedra

Birdsong is ephemeral – like dance, it exists only in the moment— sung once, then lost to time.

Nightingales, or “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.

Songs of the Bulbul, a 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 captured and held in captivity. The bird was bound ever closer and slowly perished through despair, singing more sweetly as its end drew nearer, until it uttered one final, heartbreaking and piercingly beautiful song just before it departed the mortal world. Thus ended the journey of the mythical bird, a tale of beauty born of loss and of freedom found only in the ultimate sacrifice. The beauty of this songbird’s melody serves as a metaphor for the fleeting moments of dance and an artist’s life. Rooted in the expansive music, dance, and poetry traditions of Sufism, this new work by two of the most outstanding Sufi Kathak artists performing in the world today emerges as a sensitive dialogue between the ferocious physicality of Kathak and the spiritual journey of Sufism, a path seeking unity with the Divine.

A sensitive, beautiful dialogue between Sufi Kathak, music that seamlessly blends orchestral and Indian Classical tradition, and Islamic Poetry, Songs of the Bulbul invites audiences to witness a transformation transcending physical boundaries towards enlightenment. Through a journey from Persia to the subcontinent, from freedom to captivity, and the soul’s journey towards divine love and enlightenment, Odedra poses a universal question: 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?

Leveraging their common cultural heritage, Aakash Odedra and Rani Khanam seek to explore and research form that upholds the sanctity of traditional Sufi Kathak, a classical style imbued with profound spiritual nuance and rooted in the dance traditions of the Indian subcontinent, while also investigating its possibilities when viewed through a modern lens.

With music composed and directed by Rushil Ranjan, Songs of The Bulbul is an immersive dialogue between traditional classical Indian dance and music, renowned for its precise rhythm and storytelling, and the innovative perspectives of contemporary forms and processes. Songs of The Bulbul is the second collaboration between Aakash Odedra and Rushil Ranjan, after working together on Abi Sampa’s music video for Ghar Aa in 2021.

Both artists’ exploratory journey will present a captivating interplay between the spiritual charge of Sufism and classical technique and style. Islamic poetry, characterized by its depth and rhythmic flow, will intertwine with their research work, forming a critical part of the creative process.

As this unique exploration unravels, Odedra and Khanam will illuminate the cultural richness of the subcontinent, emphasizing the extraordinary potential of its dance traditions when it engages with modern dance practice, assuring a dynamic blend of the old and new, tradition and innovation, spiritual and physical.

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