Vidya Patel: māyā

māyā reimagines a world where past and present rituals take form through rhythms, dance, and music, inspired by dreams and what may inhabit them. 
 
Influenced by the Raphael Cartoons, this work reinterprets narratives that relate to own imaginations and the natural/supernatural forces around us, through the movement vocabulary of Indian classical dance and universal gestures. Māyā, the Sanskrit word for "illusion" or "magic," becomes a thread through this premiere work. 

 
Join us for this performance piece by dance artist and choreographer Vidya Patel, and long-term collaborator and music composer Shammi Pithia, supported by vocalist and musician Ashnaa Sasikaran.
 
 
 The performances will happen at 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00


Credits:

Direction/Concept/Choreography/Performer: Vidya Patel (@_vidyapatel)

Composer/Multi-Instrumentalist/Performer: Shammi Pithia (@shammipithia)

Vocalist/ Musician/Performer: Ashnaa Sasikaran (ashnaa_ns)

Costume Designed by: Re- Ceremonial (@re_ceremonial)

Performance Advisor/ Rehearsal Director: Akshay Sharma 

Producer: Zeynep Gunaydin

Vidya Patel is a UK based dance artist, choreographer, performer and collaborator. Her work merges influence of Kathak, one of the major classical Indian dance forms with contemporary dance, whilst working collaboratively with music, poetry and visual arts to draw on social/ political and autobiographical themes relating to identity, belonging, nature, well-being and empowerment.

Vidya has performed nationally and internationally with several companies, artists and organisations, including Sir Richard Alston, Shammi Pithia, Gary Clarke, Thick & Tight, Hetain Patel, Orchestral Qawwali, and Sujata Banerjee. She also performed in the late Pandit Ravi Shankar’s opera “Sukanya”. She has collaborated with artists including long- term collaborator Shammi Pithia who has composed music for many of her works, and Connor Scott, Zia Ahmed, Sarathy Korwar, Shankho Chaudhari, Ryan Stafford, and many others. Her performances have received recognition, leading to three National Dance Critics Circle Awards nominations. In 2023 she received The Michele Fox Choreographic Award and the Vic Wells Award which have contributed towards developing future choreographic works.

Highlights include representing the South Asian category in the inaugural BBC Young Dancer 2015, which was broadcasted live on prime time TV, she has premiered her own choreographic and collaborative work in India and throughout the UK including Southbank Centre, Royal Opera House, and Sadler’s Wells Theatre where she was a Young Associate choreographer 2020-22. She has been commissioned to create work for dance conservatories including Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, Emergence and Northern School of Contemporary Dance and most recently the Ballet Boyz. Last year, she was commissioned by Tate Modern to create participatory work and live performances for the Turbine Hall in response to visual artist and activist Cecilia Vicuña’s installation, The Brain Forest Quipu, which was shared to over 12,000 members of the public. 

She is a Sadler’s Wells Young Associates Choreographer alumni 2020/22 and is currently Philharmonia Orchestra’s Artist in Residence for the 2024/25.

Shammi Pithia is a chart-topping composer, producer, and performer whose two albums reached No.1 on the iTunes World Music chart. Over the past 15 years, he has performed globally, with notable appearances at Glastonbury Festival, Wembley Stadium, Sadler’s Wells, and sold-out solo shows at London’s Southbank Centre. As a collaborator, Shammi composes for kathak, ballet, and contemporary dance, as well as for film, large ensembles, and major stage productions. Some highlights of his career include creating music for and performing on BBC’s Young Dancer of The Year 2015 (BBC2) which was broadcasted live to over a million viewers in the UK alone, arranging music for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as they performed his music with him at Wembley Stadium to a 60,000 strong audience, musical direction for the sold-out Krishna Spectacular at the Hammersmith Apollo, a remix for Nitin Sawhney that appeared on his album The Last Days Of Meaning, production of Surrender by Jahnavi Harrison and Willow Smith on ROC Nation His work also features in global film festivals (Circle), and he was ACTA-nominated for About The Elephant. Shammi’s music has appeared on TV shows such as Rick Stein’s India, A Cook Abroad, Panorama, and MTV’s Teen Cribs.

 

Ashnaa Sasikaran is a Tamil-British singer from a  Carnatic- South Indian classical background, which has strongly influenced her style. She is an upcoming independent artist, passionate about experimenting with a wide range of musical genres to see what new sounds she can bring to the music industry. She has collaborated with many artists including, she was the lead singer is Soumik Datta's "Songs of the Earth" and Jasdeep Singh Degun's opera "Opheus" with Opera North.

re-ceremonial is a label dedicated to understanding and establishing circular practices in fashion. They craft ceremonial clothing from respectfully recycled textiles and plant dyes in Mumbai, India. The label explores time honoured silhouettes in hand woven heritage weaves for the new generation of value seeking consumers.

Akshay Sharma is a contemporary dance artist, choreograper with a practice of Indian Classical music and writing. Akshay has supported Vidya as a rehearsal director and dramaturg during various processes in the past.

Zeynep is a producer working across theatre, dance, and community-led projects. She specialises in delivering high-quality events and performances with a focus on supporting emerging artists, engaging young people in the arts, and fostering collaborative practice. Her work spans roles with Sadler’s Wells Theatre, The Little Angel Theatre, and Mousetrap Theatre Projects. She is currently Freelance producing across the arts sector including working as Project’s Producer for New Adventure’s and producing a range of ambitious projects in collaboration with independent artist Vidya Patel.