SONIA SABRI sees her remarkable journey in dance as a true blessing.
The acclaimed dancer and choreographer’s work has ranged from performing on major stages and festivals like WOMAD to collaborating with internationally renowned talents such as Shyam Benegal, Nitin Sawhney and Sir Trevor Nunn.
She has also performed at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, inspired students as a dance teacher, and used her craft to help those with lifechanging injuries.
But beyond these many achievements, perhaps what defines the British Kathak talent most are her dynamic dance productions, which have connected with audiences of all ages and crossed creative boundaries. With a fire burning deep inside to accomplish more, she adds to her great body of work with Roshni, which closes the Afro Futures Festival at Rich Mix in London from next Thursday (6) to next Sunday (9).
Eastern Eye caught up with the inspiring dance maestro to discuss her journey, visually striking show, inspirations, and aspirations.
You have achieved a lot, but what keeps your passion for dance alive?
I perform, teach, choreograph, direct and mentor. When I hear from audiences after my performances – whether they have had a life-affirming revelation, been deeply moved, or simply shown their appreciation through rapturous applause and standing ovations – it is immensely rewarding. It fuels my drive to keep going and strive for even better.
Is the teaching aspect particularly fulfilling for you?
When I teach children in schools, including those with special educational needs (SEN) and neurodivergent pupils, as well as the elderly in care homes and people with life-changing brain injuries, I witness how transformative movement can be – physically, mentally, emotionally, and intellectually. Sometimes, it challenges what science has led us to believe or breaks down societal stereotypes about people who are different. The power of teaching and choreographing movement, bringing an idea from paper to a spectacle for thousands, if not millions, is beyond words. It is almost a spiritual experience. Seeing someone progress in ways they never imagined inspires me to keep sharing the art.
You have had many great moments and milestones, but which has been the most memorable?
It is difficult to choose because each moment has been incredible for different reasons. One milestone was performing in front of the late Kathak legend, Pandit Birju Maharaj, who was hugely complimentary about my work. There was a lot of buzz in the Kathak community about how I had developed my own distinctive style. Another momentous occasion was performing for my guru’s (Nahid Siddiqui) guru, Baba Maharaj Ghulam Hussain Kathak, in Pakistan. Performing at WOMAD in front of over 10,000 people – many experiencing Kathak for the first time – and taking part in the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, which reached a billion people globally, were also unforgettable highlights.
Sonia Sabri Certain Blacks
What inspired your show Roshni?
Roshni is a production featuring solo dance and live music from different parts of the world. The word Roshni means light, radiance, and brilliance, and the show is about finding hope and inner belief in a positive world. It was created in response to a survey I conducted with 100 people during the pandemic. They were asked what they wanted most in the world, and their answers centred around faith, connection, kindness, and community. Roshni consists of three distinct pieces where movement and live music come together.
Tell us about the show.
It is fast-paced, highly percussive, and incorporates gestures and facial expressions that tell a story about the world we live in today – highlighting how what we see is not always the truth. The third piece features rhythmic elements, including beatboxing, locking and popping elements of Kathak (yes, we have those too!) and percussive movements bound to a time signature. It explores the waves of life and how we overcome challenges, reminding us that even when time is against us (such is the nature of life on earth), we can make the most of it. We are born with light within us – we just need to find it and let it shine.
How does Roshni compare to your previous productions?
This is not a traditional or classical Kathak solo performance. The show is driven by live music, including tabla, oud, kaval, whistle, clarinet, and guitar. I interact with the audience between pieces, incorporate Indian beatboxing, and encourage audience participation, taking them on a journey with us.
The theme and storytelling reflect the present day and today’s people, rather than bygone eras or mythological tales. The show also features a lot of improvisation, meaning every performance of Roshni is unique. I have worked meticulously to push my personal style of Kathak further.
Tell us more about that.
My style is influenced by my surroundings and the artists around me, including elements of hip-hop, Persian folk, and Afro-Caribbean dance. I am proud to say that my Kathak identity is distinct.
How much are you looking forward to performing Roshni at Rich Mix in London this March?
Very much so. I have performed at Rich Mix several times and brought multiple productions there since its opening. I am delighted to present Roshni at this venue.
Music is central to your shows. Tell us more about that aspect of Roshni.
The music is arranged by tabla maestro Sarvar Sabri, who also performs in the show. The non-traditional music blends disciplines from India and North Africa to the Celtic regions and Spain. The musical palette is unique, with a lot of improvisation, so each performance has a different energy.
Do you have a personal favourite moment in the show?
The whole show is special to me. On a more granular level, I would say the audience interaction. You can never predict how they will participate, and it is astounding to see how everyone finds their own light within. The energy that creates is truly moving.
What is the secret to delivering a great solo show?
Authenticity, commitment, belief in the concept, and in yourself as an artist.
Do you ever get nervous before going on stage?
Always. Every show has a different audience, and that unpredictability creates nerves. I always hope they will connect with and enjoy the performance. In a way, nerves help sharpen focus. If I do not feel nervous, I start to worry about why I am not.
Sonia SabriCertain Blacks
What does dance mean to you today?
Dance is life. Without dance, there is no being. It is also my way of staying grounded in this chaotic world. It connects me to something much deeper, away from the matrix. What I find interesting is that only now, with recent scientific studies, is the world recognising the mental, physical, and emotional benefits of dance – something we dancers have always known.
What other exciting projects can we expect from you this year?
I have an outdoor touring show titled Mughal Miniatures, inspired by the Indian miniature paintings of the Mughal era. We will be touring across outdoor festivals this summer. It is a collaborative piece featuring different dance styles, masks, and puppetry, with beautiful set designs. I am also working on a new stage show.
What inspires you creatively?
Usually nature. There are days when I just watch the skies or observe ripples in a lake. I also draw inspiration from music by great masters.
Roshni will be on at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA in London next Sunday (9). www.richmix.org.uk & www.ssco.org.uk
British-Bangladeshi prop maker Anika Chowdhury has designed a handcrafted glow-in-the-dark chess set celebrating heritage and identity.
The limited-edition set, called Glowborne, launches on Kickstarter in October.
Each piece draws from South Asian, Middle Eastern, and African cultural references, re-rooting chess in its origins.
The project blends art, storytelling, and representation, aiming to spark conversations about identity in play.
Reimagining chess through heritage
When Anika Chowdhury sat down to sculpt her first chess piece, she had a bigger vision than simply redesigning a classic game. A British-Bangladeshi prop maker working in the film industry, she grew up loving fantasy and games but rarely saw faces like hers in Western storytelling.
“Chess originated in India, travelled through Arabia and North Africa, and was later Westernised,” she explains. “I wanted to bring those forgotten origins back to the board.”
The result is Glowborne — a limited-edition, glow-in-the-dark fantasy chess set that blends craft, identity and cultural pride.
Anika Chowdhury says she has many ideas to further fuse craft and culture in future projects Glowborne
Crafting Glowborne
Each character in the set has been carefully designed to reflect cultural narratives: Bengali kings and pawns, Indian bishops with bindis, Arab knights, and African queens. Chowdhury sculpted each piece by hand, drawing on her prop-making training at the National Film and Television School.
Once sculpted, the pieces were cast in resin, painted, and finished with South Asian-inspired motifs filled with glow-in-the-dark pigment. “The characters glow both literally and metaphorically,” she says, “as a chance for them to take the stage.”
Cultural pride and visibility
For Chowdhury, the project is about more than gameplay. “Fantasy doesn’t need to fit into the Western mould to tell a great story,” she says. “South Asian, Middle Eastern and African stories are just as powerful, and they can transform something as traditional as chess by reconnecting it with its roots.”
She hopes Glowborne will resonate with South Asian and Eastern African communities as a celebration of identity and belonging. At the same time, she sees it as a bridge for wider audiences — chess enthusiasts, collectors, and design lovers who appreciate craftsmanship and storytelling.
A personal journey
Chowdhury’s career in film and prop-making has influenced her creative process, but Glowborne marks her first independent project. She created it outside her film work, after hours and on weekends.
“At 28, I finally feel like I’ve found my voice,” she reflects. “For a long time I felt pressure to hide my identity, but now I see my culture as a superpower. This project is about using art to express that.”
Looking ahead
Launching this October on Kickstarter as a collector’s edition, Glowborne is only the beginning. Chowdhury says she has many ideas to further fuse craft and culture in future projects. “This is the proof of concept,” she says. “I can’t wait to create more stories that blend heritage, art and play.”
By clicking the 'Subscribe’, you agree to receive our newsletter, marketing communications and industry
partners/sponsors sharing promotional product information via email and print communication from Garavi Gujarat
Publications Ltd and subsidiaries. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the
unsubscribe link in our emails. We will use your email address to personalize our communications and send you
relevant offers. Your data will be stored up to 30 days after unsubscribing.
Contact us at data@amg.biz to see how we manage and store your data.
The piece was originally one of nine works that appeared across London in August 2024
Banksy’s ‘Piranhas’ artwork, painted on a police sentry box, is being stored ahead of display at London Museum.
The piece was originally one of nine works that appeared across London in August 2024.
It will form part of the museum’s new Smithfield site, opening in 2026.
The City of London Corporation donated the artwork as part of its £222m museum relocation project.
Banksy’s police box artwork in storage
A Banksy artwork known as Piranhas has been placed in storage ahead of its future display at the London Museum’s new Smithfield site, scheduled to open in 2026. The piece features spray-painted piranha fish covering the windows of a police sentry box, giving the illusion of an aquarium.
From Ludgate Hill to Guildhall Yard
The police box, which had stood at Ludgate Hill since the 1990s, was swiftly removed by the City of London Corporation after Banksy confirmed authorship. It was initially displayed at Guildhall Yard, where visitors could view it from behind safety barriers. The Corporation has since voted to donate the piece to the London Museum.
Museum’s first contemporary street art
London Museum’s Head of Curatorial, Glyn Davies, said:
“With the arrival of Banksy’s Piranhas, our collection now spans from Roman graffiti to our first piece of contemporary street art. This work by one of the world’s most iconic artists now belongs to Londoners, and will keep making waves when it goes on show next year in the Museum’s new Smithfield home.”
Formerly known as the Museum of London, the institution closed its London Wall site in December 2022 as part of its relocation. It rebranded as the London Museum in July 2024, with £222m allocated by the City of London Corporation to support the move. The project is expected to attract two million visitors annually and create more than 1,500 jobs.
Part of Banksy’s animal-themed series
Piranhas was one of nine animal-themed works Banksy created across London in August 2024. The series also featured a rhino on a car, two elephants with interlocked trunks, monkeys swinging from a bridge, a howling wolf on a satellite dish, and a goat painted on a wall. Some of the artworks were later vandalised, removed, or covered up.
Preserving street art for the public
Chris Hayward, policy chairman of the City of London Corporation, said:
“Banksy stopped Londoners in their tracks when this piece appeared in the Square Mile – and now, we’re making it available to millions. By securing it for London Museum, we’re not only protecting a unique slice of the City’s story, but also adding an artwork that will become one of the museum’s star attractions.”
Keep ReadingShow less
The group have introduced fresh orchestral elements and added instruments to expand their live sound
The Shahbaz Fayyaz Qawwal Group return to the UK with a nationwide tour after viral success online.
The ensemble of brothers blend centuries-old qawwali traditions with fresh improvisations that connect with young audiences.
From Pakistan to the USA and UK, their performances have won acclaim for their electrifying energy and spiritual depth.
Fans can expect new instruments, reimagined classics, and the same message of love and harmony at this year’s shows.
From viral sensation to global stages
When a performance goes viral, it can change an artist’s career overnight. For the Shahbaz Fayyaz Qawwal Group, their stirring renditions of Bhar Do Jholi and B Kafara propelled them from local fame in Pakistan to global recognition, amassing millions of views across platforms. What set them apart was not just the power of their voices, but the way their music resonated with younger listeners who were hearing qawwali with fresh ears.
That viral momentum soon carried them beyond borders, leading to major performances in the United States and the UK. “It wasn’t just one track,” the group explained. “We revived older gems like Kali Kali Zulfon and Dil Pukare Aaja in our own style, and those went viral again, showing that qawwali still speaks across generations.”
Heritage, family and style
The Shahbaz Fayyaz Qawwal Group’s uniqueness lies in their roots. Composed of seven brothers and joined by fellow musicians from respected musical families, the ensemble was trained by their late father, himself a master of the art form. On stage, as many as 15 to 20 performers create a sound that is both deeply traditional and daringly modern.
Their shows are alive with improvisation. In the middle of a devotional track, harmonium player Shahbaz might suddenly weave in a melody from a contemporary Bollywood hit, while lead vocalist Fayyaz channels his energy into unrestrained movements and audience interaction. “When different styles meet, something new emerges,” they said. “That’s what keeps the music vibrant.”
UK audiences and the international journey
Having performed across the USA, the Middle East and Europe, the group describe UK audiences as particularly electric. “Each time we perform here, the atmosphere is charged. People don’t just listen – they become part of the performance,” they said.
Their repertoire often draws requests from fans who expect to hear viral favourites alongside traditional classics. “Sometimes, if organisers don’t allow us to perform songs like B Kafara or Dil Pukare Aaja, the audience won’t let the show continue. That’s the level of passion here,” they recalled with a laugh.
Keeping qawwali alive for new generations
While the roots of qawwali stretch back centuries, the group see their role as carrying the tradition into the present. By fusing tabla, harmonium and handclaps with newer instruments and arrangements, they appeal to younger listeners without losing the music’s essence.
“We want every audience to feel peace, harmony and love when they leave our concerts,” they said. “An artist should never belong to just one group of people – music is for everyone.”
What fans can expect this tour
This year’s UK tour promises new surprises. The group have introduced fresh orchestral elements and added instruments to expand their live sound. Fans can expect a mix of beloved classics, spontaneous improvisations, and the chance to hear qawwali reimagined for today’s world.
For Shahbaz Fayyaz Qawwal Group, the mission remains unchanged: to honour their heritage, embrace new audiences, and spread the universal message at the heart of their art. As they put it: “We look forward to growing together with our fans. Let’s celebrate qawwali as a tradition that belongs to everyone.”
This Navratri, the traditional rhythms of Garba are being paired with the timeless melodies of British folk in a new musical fusion that promises to bring fresh energy to the festival.
The piece blends the iconic Gujarati folk song Kon Halave Limdi Ne Kon Halave Pipdi with the classic English–Celtic ballad Scarborough Fair. It is performed as a duet by Gujarati folk singer Kashyap Dave and Western classical vocalist Vanya Bhatt, a graduate of Christ University, Bengaluru.
Rooted in Surat, Gujarat—the city where the British East India Company established its first factory in 1612—the collaboration connects two cultures centuries apart, showing how music can transcend time and geography.
“For me, Kon Halave Limdi captures the joy and energy of Garba,” said Vanya. “Pairing it with Scarborough Fair created a harmony that feels both new and familiar, perfect for global Navratri celebrations.”
Music producer Jimmy Desai called it “a rare and exciting blend.” He added: “It’s not often you hear operatic vocals flowing seamlessly over Garba rhythms. We wanted to preserve the essence of both traditions while making the music festive and universal.”
The English ballad, originally romantic, has been reworked with lyrics highlighting the camaraderie, joy and togetherness central to Navratri.
“The Gujarati melody instantly evokes community spirit,” said Kashyap. “Combining it with a British classic gives it cross-cultural appeal, making it suitable for celebrations anywhere in the world.”
The fusion, the team said, is more than just a song: it is a celebration of heritage, a bridge between East and West, and a musical thread tying hearts together during the festival of dance, devotion and community.
Woodcut prints that explore the fragile threshold between body, time, and transcendence
Inspired by Baul mystics like Lalon Shai and Shah Abdul Karim, as well as sculptural forms from Michelangelo to Rodin
Figures emerge from black holes and womb-like voids — trapped in time yet reaching for freedom
A visual dialogue between flesh and spirit, rootedness and flight
A bold continuation of South Asian metaphysical traditions in contemporary form
Paradox becomes the path: muscular bodies dream of escape through light, memory, and love
Expressionist in tone, haunting in imagery — a theatre of becoming
I imagine Tarek Amin (Ruhul Amin Tarek) has a singular vision as his hands work on his craft, his measuring eyes, the membranes of his fingers. They are mostly woodcut prints on the threshold of becoming, from darkened holes. A human figure dangling in space, yet not without gravitational pull, the backwards tilt of the head is like a modern-day high jumper in the fall position, the muscles and ribcage straining to keep the body's mass afloat. A clock is ticking away in the background of a darkened rectangle. Is it the black hole, the womb, or the nothingness from which the first murmurings of being, its tentative emergence into light, can be heard?
A clock is ticking away in the background of a darkened rectangleManzu Islam
This one is in the darkened inside of a clock, as if in the womb of time, but not quite trapped in the savage tick-tock of the metronome, for the body in its stylised repose is already stirring to take flight. Why else would the face turn away from the body in its sideways position and look beyond the dark hole, beyond the frame of time?
Even the figure deep in sleep in the primal bed of the darkened womb is not as lost to time as it first appears. The legs have already wriggled their way beyond the frame. Besides, the folds of the garment covering the lower body are billowing in the wind, as if responding to the summons of the beyond to take flight into the infinite. They are all over, these black holes that imprison even a tiny flicker of light. Staged almost as an expressionist theatre reminiscent of Ludwig Kirchner et al and the Bridge Group’s woodcut prints where dark areas, looming large, provide abodes for the likes of Nosferatu or the sinister zones of danger in a Hitchcock film, but always pointing to the lighted outside, the avenue of escape, even transcendence, as Tarek Amin tends to think.
Often bathed in metamorphic ochre and orange, these figures inspired by Bengal’s deep-rooted philosophers and mystical poets, such as Lalon Shai and Shah Abdul Karim, are swept along by their melodies of love and dread, which, despite being authorised in the name of an ineffable stranger, never fail to touch the very membrane of the soul. Perhaps that’s why Tarek Amin calls this series of artwork Echoes of Existence.
The body in its stylised repose is already stirring to take flightManzu Islam
In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Narcissus, trapped in the mirroring surface of the water, stays deaf to Echo’s lovelorn calls. From Tarek Amin’s canvases, the echoes resolute not to take no for an answer insist on being heard, even though they speak in whispers.
What do these echoes speak of? Mostly of bodies, sinuous bodies toned and chiselled like Yukio Mishima’s, destined for a metaphysical journey. These journeys are fraught with dangers, as Mishima’s have been, imploding in a manic misadventure. Tarek Amin’s bodies, taken at once from the body-centred metaphysics of the Bauls (of which Lalon Shai and Shah Abdul Karim are preeminent figures), and from the long lines of sculptures from Michelangelo to Rodin and beyond.
Auguste Rodin looked at Michelangelo, who spurred him on his creative journey. But the Frenchman, being a workman and given to the sheer materiality of objects, the thingness of things which prompted Rilke to his poetic exploration of Dinggedicht (thing-poem), gave his figures ample volume, substance, and the rough edges of their emergence. Rodin’s bodies, weighed down by their dense matter, are rooted in places. They are too heavy to take flight. Analogous to Rodin, although working in a different medium, is the work of Bangladeshi painter SM Sultan. His embodied figures, mainly peasants bulging with muscle, know only work. Labouring in the fields, their muscles protruding all over their anatomy, creating fleshy mountains and slopes that even the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn’t dream of in their wildest imagination, is too heavy. They seem more likely to sink under their own weight than take flight. If there is an escape route for them, it is by digging deep, like Kafka’s moles.
Sure, bodies are houses of being, but some bodies are bent on dragging their being elsewhere. This, I sense, is the case in Tarek Amin’s work. Muscular bodies, bound by the sheer force of their materiality, and yet they want to fly elsewhere, it doesn’t matter how one names it: beloved, divine, or even God (Lalon imagines him as a strange neighbour in a hall of mirrors so close and yet aeons away). It seems we’ve ended up with a paradox. Rooted in bodies and yet looking for lines of flight. Imprisoned by the clock and yet wishing to melt it away as Salvador Dalí so theatrically wanted, or as Henri Bergson so patiently waited to experience his durée, as the cubes of sugar dissolved in water, which sent young Marcel Proust wild with excitement, thinking he had found the key to retrieving lost time.
Yet paradox is not a negative force. In carnival, particularly in the Caribbean one sees some figures in their limbo dancing, lowering themselves to almost ground level to pass the bar, while others elongate themselves on stilts to touch the sky. The high and the low, all at the same time, is the force that disrupts the habitual orders of things. It unleashes the forces of creation.
Tarek Amin’s bodies, then rooted in their flesh and chiselled muscles, and in dreams of escape with the melodies of Lalon Shai and Shah Abdul Karim are the figures of freedom. It will be a bumpy ride, but I wish them well.
Exhibition Title:Echoes of Existence
Artist: Tarek Amin Date: 20–27 June 2025 Venue: Spitalfields Studios, London E1
Manzu Islam is a British-Bangladeshi writer and academic, author of The Mapmakers of Spitalfields, Burrow, and Godzilla and the Song Bird. His fiction explores migration, racism, and cultural identity through vivid storytelling rooted in postcolonial experiences.