Seeta Patel – Rite of Spring at The Lowry
Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor
For one night only at The Lowry, Seeta Patel Dance will reimagine the iconic ballet, The Rite of Spring in the powerful Indian dance style, Bharatanatyam.
We’re also pleased to announce that Creative Tourist readers can take advantage of a special discounted ticket price for this performance too. Just click the Book Now button above for an exclusive £15.00 ticket offer (available on all seats).
Seeta Patel marries Indian classical dance with Western classical music.
Performed by some of the finest Indian classical dancers and set to Stravinsky’s celebrated musical score, Seeta Patel marries Indian classical dance with Western classical music in her The Rite of Spring.
Widely considered one of the most influential works in 20th-century music and dance.
Of course, few dance works have evoked such debate as Stravinsky’s ground-breaking ballet. When the work first premiered at the Theatre de Champs Elysees in Paris in 1913, it was considered an absolute scandal and famously caused a near-riot. Back then, audiences were utterly outraged by the disregard for convention in Stravinsky’s avant-garde score and Nijinsky’s choreography. Now, Stravinsky’s score has become a rite of passage for most choreographers and is widely considered one of the most influential works in 20th-century music and dance.
Seeta Patel’s The Rite of Spring offers a rare chance to see Bharatanatyam, one of the oldest and most popular forms of classical dance in India, performed in an ensemble piece. With rhythmic footwork, graceful and dynamic movements and expressive storytelling, this is a compelling new interpretation of a totemic work.
With rhythmic footwork, graceful and dynamic movements and expressive storytelling, this is a compelling new interpretation of a totemic work.
A ballet of ritual and sacrifice, Seeta Patel’s The Rite of Spring is described as “a spiritual exploration of a work through an Eastern philosophical lens”. Together with the principal dance language of Bharatanatyam, Patel uses a compelling cocktail of contemporary movement. Patel’s striking production also subverts the traditional narrative of a single sacrificial ‘chosen one’ by elevating this character to a deity unto which the whole community sacrifices themselves.
As a bonus, before the production of The Rite of Spring, Seeta Patel will welcome audiences with a solo performance accompanied by South Indian musicians. A beautiful solo presentation of Bharatanatyam, this dance prologue takes the audience on Mother Earth’s journey, from birth to destruction, in perfect preparation for her deliverance in The Rite of Spring.
Set to Stravinsky’s extraordinary score, recorded by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, The Rite of Spring is a fascinating evening of dance, perfectly demonstrative of Patel’s innovation to blend different dance styles and bring a fresh perspective to an iconic work.
Click the Book Now button below for an exclusive £15.00 ticket offer (available on all seats).
