Date: Wednesday 21st May 2024  

Venue: Dance City, Temple Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4BR 

Tickets: £15 / £12 concessions  

Box office: Rooh- Pagrav Dance Company - Dance City / 0191 2610505  

Pagrav Dance Company presents a brand new work by award-winning choreographer Urja Desai Thakore.  

‘ROOH: Within Her’ is a powerful celebration of everyday female heroism spanning two millennia and realised through the cutting edge of contemporary kathak dance. 

This compelling solo piece is the latest work by the visionary choreographer and performer Urja Desai Thakore. For this project she joins forces with the internationally recognised poet and dramaturg Karthika Nair to explore narratives of female bravery sourced from legend, folklore and Urja’s true family stories. 

Urja embodies the turmoil of a mother — a celebrated figure in ancient Tamil literature — who scours the battlefield in search of her son’s body, determined to disprove rumours that he died fleeing the enemy. With heart-felt precision she recreates Chaaran Kanya, the renowned Gujarati author Zaverchand Meghani’s account of the folk heroine Heerbai – the teenage cowherdess who drives away a lion that dared attack her favourite calf while an entire village quakes in fear. Inspirational figures – from the choreographer’s artistic lineage, take centre-stage alongside lesser-known Chipko activists. 

The performance is enhanced by an evocative soundscape that weaves together voice-over text with music composed by the celebrated Alap Desai and played live. 

Rooh (meaning ‘essence’ in Gujarati) connects the distant past and recent history, demonstrating just how significant individual choices – both creative and personal – can be. Come and witness a celebration of seemingly minor narratives that actually loom large, influencing our current and future selves. 

ROOH: Within Her is a new production produced by Pagrav Dance Company. Supported using Public Funding by Arts Council of England, Milton Keynes City Council, Sadler’s Wells, South East Dance, SAA-UK, and Gem Arts.