North American Premiere
Aakash Odedra Company and Bagri Foundation invite you to enter the world of Samsara. Inspired by the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, Samsara is a spellbinding piece that traces the steps we take, both forward and backward, in search of our higher selves.
UK/Indian dancer Aakash Odedra and Chinese dancer Hu Shenyuan draw on their diverse disciplines of ballet, Chinese folk, kathak and contemporary dance to explore the notion of samsara: the wheel of life, birth, existence and re-birth. This compelling journey of self-development, fear and love traces a path across lands and through time, exploring the idea that if we let attachments go and allow light in, we might find a place of truth and peace. Drawing on thinking and imagery at the heart of Buddhist philosophy, Samsara’s mythological storytelling merges with personal experience from two globally opposite perspectives in a seductive, astonishing journey of twin movement.
Duration: 60 minutes
Location: Vancouver Playhouse, 600 Hamilton St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2P1
TICKETS
Wednesday & Thursday: $50 Adult and $40 Student/Senior/Arts Worker
Friday & Saturday: $70 Adult and $60 Student/Senior/Arts Worker
Wed, March 22 @ 8pm Thu, March 23 @ 8pm Fri, March 24 @ 8pm Sat, March 25 @ 8pm
Performers/Crew Names & Positions:
Dancers: Aakash Odedra, Hu Shenyuan
Musicians: Nicki Wells, Beibei Wang, Michael Ormiston
Tech: Salvatore Scollo, Michael Morgan, Emanuele Salamanca and Camilo Tirado
Company Manager: Ali Robertson and Megan Maw
Aakash Odedra is a dancer, choreographer and teacher. Born in Birmingham, UK and trained in the classical Indian dance styles of Kathak (Nilima Devi, Leicester and Asha Joglekar, India) and Bharatanatyam (Chitraleka Bolar, Birmingham and Chhaya Kantaveh, India). Aakash formed Aakash Odedra Company in 2011 as a vehicle for commissioning solos and to develop his own choreographic work, and as a soloist has performed over 300 full length performances in 40countries in the past decade. Notable commissions include James Brown: Get on the Good Foot (Apollo Theater, NY) and the Opera God’s Little Soldier (Theater Freiburg), The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the closing of the London Cultural Olympiad. Aakash has received numerous awards including the Amnesty International Award for Freedom of Expression; Best Dance at the Eastern Eye ACTA Awards 2018; a Dora performance award(Canada); Danza &Danza award (Italy); and he received a British Empire Medal in the Queen’s2021 New Year’s Honours for his services to dance.
Hu Shenyuan is an independent dancer and choreographer. He graduated from the Dance Academy of Central MinZu University before working in Beijing for LDTX Dance Company from2012 to 2014. As a dancer, he played Yu Ji in Yang Liping’s dance work Under Siege to great public acclaim. In 2017, Hu became the first young artist supported by Yang Liping Art Foundation, created his work Roving and established his studio Hu-Hu Dance. Hu’s choreographic works include Roving, The Moonlight Rainbow, So Close, With, ID, Ego, and Super-Ego and The Flower of Freedom. Several of his creations have been selected for the exhibition unit of the China Youth Dance Talents Training Program. His many awards include Best Performance Award at the 4th Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition; the Silver Award from the 16th Italian Rome International Choreography Competition and the Jury Chairman’s Award at the 15th Seoul International Dance Competition in 2018.