As someone who was about to experience a dance performance in Brighton for the first time, I was excited and eager. ‘Waltzing the Blue Gods’ by Jaivant Patel Company was hosted at The Dance Space by South East Dance in Brighton on the evening of 4th August.
Before I talk about the performance, I would like to introduce the lovely venue to those of you who aren’t familiar with it yet. South East Dance is an organisation that hosts dancers and performance artists from the South East of England.
In order to do so, they have built a wonderful space, full of different rooms that cater to not just rehearsals and shows but also meetings and other things. The Dance Space is one of the best studios that I have ever visited, and I would continue to participate in the activities, workshops, and classes that they host all year round just so I can visit one of my favourite spaces in Brighton.
On the evening of the performance, we were warmly greeted into the space and welcomed into the auditorium. We were told that the director of the performance recommends viewing it from the seats in the centre, and we gladly accepted the suggestion.
We were also handed written program sheets that provided us with a background to the choreography and some of the details that might be easy to miss if not pointed out, such as the names of the different instruments, rhythms, and musical compositions, as well as prop inspirations. Once we had taken our seats and looked over the program sheet, it was time for the performance to begin.
The first half of the performance was quite personal to the choreographer and performer, Jai, who portrayed his relationship with identity and faith in a splendid combination of the Indian classical dance form, Kathak; pictures of Hindu gods alongside Freddie Mercury and the floating candles and incense. His movements were graceful, expressive, and moving. The storytelling was well constructed and executed with elegance.
After a 15-minute interval when the stage was set up for the second half, we witnessed the same dance form in a different style and form and within a different narrative. This time it involved a lot of heavy footwork, which is common with Kathak, but it also involved live music being played.
In fact, the musicians weren’t seated on the side as you would sometimes find with orchestras. Instead, they were all actively a part of the ensemble that together put forward a story surrounding Krishna, the flute-playing Hindu god, who is a symbol of sensuality and playfulness in Indian mythology.
The music from the flute, the wide-ranging vocals, the beat of the tabla, and the soothing santoor created an ambience that was both enchanting and enjoyable. The performance ended on a high note, as the audience clapped along with the last set of beats.
Following the performance, there was also a wonderful discussion where the audience got a chance to ask questions and find out more about the story behind the scenes.
As everyone who attended agreed, the show was spectacular, and I look forward to not only seeing Jaivant Patel’s performances again but also watching more performances at The Dance Space. And I must add, this was the best way I could have spent my Brighton Pride weekend.
See a video of Waltzing The Blue Gods by Jaivant Patel Company here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dwcVeQjexg&ab_channel=BirminghamRepertoryTheatre
