- Friday, May 10, 2024
By: Asjad Nazir
WITH both having consistently crossed new creative frontiers, it was perhaps always going to be inevitable that Indian kathak legend Aditi Mangaldas would team up with world-renowned British dancer Aakash Odedra. That dynamic meeting of minds, phenomenal dance ability, and daring to be different came together for mesmerising new show Mehek. This included a thrilling performance at Sadlers Wells in London during a UK tour.
After a unique start that involved reflections combining with striking light beams, the show proceeded to present a perfectly crafted love story between an older woman and a younger man. The two world-class performers used their considerable skills to present a dramatic dance show loaded with human emotions that jumped off the stage and wrapped themselves around an enthralled audience.
From high energy spins to blending beautifully into one another during the intimate moments, they presented a taboo-busting show that combined the grace of classical Indian dance with raw, contemporary passion.
The incredible lighting design from Fabiana Piccioli and original music score from Nicki Wells added extra layers to what was already a multi-dimensional performance. Similarly, the accompanying live musicians were particularly wonderful as they injected more power to the high energy show. The set design with reflective mirrors from Tina Tzoka also deserve particular praise in a show that crossed barriers of language, culture, age and pretty much everything else.
While Aakash demonstrated why he is one of the finest British Asian dancers of all time, Aditi showed why she is rightfully considered one of the greatest of all time. They both created magic during a spirited show that was emotional, sensual, visually stunning, symbolic and showed off everything that is superb about live dancing.
It rolled around towards a memorable finale, which was met with a well-deserved standing ovation.
