News

Adelaide Fringe Award Winners!! & UK Tour

March 2018

A very successful run at the Adelaide fringe lead to Not Today's Yesterday winning the Best Dance of the Fringe award and the Peace Foundation Award, alongside 5 star reviews and great audience feed back.

Looking forward to the work going on tour in the UK this Autumn. Check out our tour dates.

Sigma coming to London!!

January 2018

Gandini Juggling explore the world of Bharatanatyam dance with award-winning Bharatanatyam artist Seeta Patel

Gandini Juggling have a reputation for innovation - pushing the boundaries of their art form by combining contemporary circus with dance and narrative. The resulting productions have challenged perceptions of what juggling is and can be and have forced the threshold of the genre in its own unique direction.

Sigma is an opportunity to further explore these dialogues and showcase the multiplicity between Bharatanatyam dance, juggling and percussion. Developed in partnership with Seeta Patel, a specialist in Bharatanatyam, dancer Indu Patel and Kati Ylä-Hokkala & Kim Huynh - pioneering jugglers from Gandini Juggling -, the work investigates classical Indian geometries, mathematics, and rythm by looking at similarities and differences, processes and choreographic architectures. There is also a focus on the parabolic accelerating velocity of objects in the air versus the more subtly changing speeds of the dancer and the underlying Carnatic musical structures.

The human side of the collaboration transcends the pure structure and looks at invented ethnologies and imaginary rituals, when both Bharatanatyam and juggling come with a myriad of associated archetypes. Gandini and Patel are keen to play with these ideologies, distort them and intermingle them and then inhabit the hybrid landscapes in which they are created.

TOTAL THEATRE AWARD FOR VISUAL THEATRE
ASIAN ARTS AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTING
ARCHANGEL HERALD AWARD 2017

Sigma premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2017, where it was received in awe:

‘IT LOOKS, AND IS, EXQUISITELY BEAUTIFUL’
★★★★★ The Herald

‘A SHOW THAT IS QUIETLY MESMERISING’
★★★★ The List

‘ASTONISHING SKILLS IN A CLEVER AND ENGROSSING PIECE’
★★★★ The Stage

‘SIGMA IS NOT YOUR USUAL JUGGLING SHOW AND IS ALL THE BETTER FOR IT’
★★★★ Broadway Baby

‘A TRULY ARTFUL MASH-UP OF DISTINCT SKILLS’
★★★★ The Times

The show will be at Sadler's Wells in January 2018 as part of the mime festival:

http://mimelondon.com/gandini-juggling-sigma-2018

Co-produced by: London International Mime Festival (UK)
Supported by: Watermans Theatre (UK)

Something Then, Something Now returns to LONDON!!

November 2017

After beginning life as part of Sadler's Wells' Wildcard platform in 2014, and going on to a UK tour with a sold out show as part of the Darbar Festival's first dance performance at the Purcell Room, Southbank, Something Then, Something Now returns to Sadler's Wells as part of Darbar. Curated by Akram Khan, Darbar has become a multi-venue festival with an exciting line up of international dance artists including Mavin Khoo and Aditi Mangaldas.

http://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/2017/darbar-festival/

SIGMA - Gandini Juggling explore the world of Bharatanatyam dance

August 2016

Seeta is very excited to be collaborating with the amazing Gandini Juggling, creating a spectacular new cross art-form production.

Entitled Sigma this beautiful new show celebrates the dialogue between the worlds of juggling, percussion and dance. Performed by a virtuosic cast including the award winning Choreographer Seeta Patel, the piece showcases exuberant rhythms, patterns and colours, at the heart of which is a unique interpretation of the classical South Indian dance form, Bharatanatyam.

"Inspired collaboration, clever choreography and captivating performance" - Dance Pad, #imaginewatford

Seeta Patel collaborates with Gandini Juggling

Seeta Patel visits Portugal teaching Intensive Bharatanatyam Course

June 2016

An invitation from EKA [ dance company ] took Seeta to Lisbon - Portugal. This beginners introduction in the Indian Classical Dance form of Bharatanatyam took place at EKA [ palace ]. From 27th to 30th June, Seeta talked about the history of the art form and her current work, tought basic footwork and hand gestures, some hints on abhinaya, work with rhythm and sanskrit poems. She found an enthusiastic group that had a great experience.

"I loved it too much. Such a professional dancer, i just loved the experience. I felt an amazing energy there!" - Tiago Santos

"The intensive body and mind work in these hot days was hard but totally worth it! Seeta is an amazing dancer and she knows how to inspire others through her teaching." - Eurica Magan

Read the article written by the respected Portuguese newspaper Diário de Notícias, both in Portuguese and translated into English.

Interview with Seeta

Speaking at: The BENCH | Navadisha | [FRAME]

June 2016

Seeta was invited to speak at three exciting events this Spring: The BENCH Event, Navadisha 2016 and [Frame] The London Dance Film Festival

The BENCH Event

2Faced Dance Company presented the first ever BENCH Event, in partnership with IDFB 2016. The event reflected on the achievements of 2Faced Dance’s BENCH programme over the last 9 months and included debate and conversation surrounding the issue of gender disparity for female choreographers working in the UK’s contemporary dance sector. The event featured inspirational speakers, presentations from the current five BENCH Fellows and a debating panel of industry experts.

The BENCH Event

Navadisha 2016

Produced by New Dimensions Arts Management in partnership with Sampad Arts, the three day conference posed questions that were crucial for South Asian dance today, as it celebrates breakthrough achievements and exciting developments in and around the sector during the fifteen years since Navadisha 2000. Navadisha 2016 fired up debate about the state and status of South Asian dance in Britain’s cultural cosmos, and the changing nature of its dance audiences; it also uncovered new talent, new models of excellence and new ways of working with dance in all its many avatars.

Navadisha 2016

[Frame]

FRAME: The London Dance Film Festival took place from 09 to 12 June 2016 offering an opportunity for creative talent in the arts, dance and film worlds to share experience, show work, learn from other artists and enjoy the best that dance and dance film offers.

[Frame]

The Company of Elders presents Seeta's 'Fragments, Not Forgotten'

May 2016

Seeta was very happy to present her work Fragments, Not Forgotten on The Company of Elders (Sadler's Wells) at several events around London this year -
Lilian Baylis Studio, RFH (Southbank) and City Hall amongst others.

In Fragments, Not Forgotten, Seeta Patel uses the words of the company to create a delicate work of haunting moments and fleeting images.

'Intense focus, pacing and imagery' - Josephine Leask, londondance.com

Fragments, Not Forgoten Review

The House of In Between

February 2016

Seeta is really looking forward to working as the choreographer for a new theatre play at Theatre Royal Stratford East next month.

Uma is the leader of the Hijra clan and is desperate to protect her house and preserve their ancient traditions. When Dev arrives, Uma sees a chance to erase the sins of the past and ensure the clan's survival. But will Uma's act of charity destroy the clan as Dev tries to fulfill a destiny no one expected? With traditional Indian music and dance, the modern world meets mystical India in this intriguing story exploring the sacrifices people are willing to make to forgive themselves and be seen.

Written by Sevan Greene and directed by TRSE associate director Pooja Ghai, Seeta will form part of an exciting creative team.

See more at:
The House of In Between

UK Autumn Tour of Something Then, Something Now coming soon!!!!!

July 2015
Something Then, Something Now

It's with great pleasure the UK Autumn tour of Something Then, Something Now will kick off at the incredible Darbar Festival on Sunday 20th September and continue to Wolverhampton, Derby, Swindon, Bournemouth and Bristol. Huge thanks to Arts Council England who have funded the tour. Watch this space for more information including venues and booking details.

Nurturing exciting young talent

July 2015

This year sees Seeta in the privileged position of being able to work more and more with young dancers, nurturing, mentoring and supporting them with the benefit of her experience and the generosity that she has experienced through her teachers over many years.

Here is Lakshmi Ranjan, one of the talented South Asian Category finalists for the BBC Young Dancer Competition talking about her work with Seeta:

"Having had some technical intensives with Seeta, it can be clear to say that I am now a changed dancer. I was able to view and practice Bharatanatyam from a completely different angle in every step that was explored. I gained the most from the short technical patterns that were choreographed to different rhythmical gaits. Here, Seeta really went through the dynamics and characterisation of each step from head to toe, as well as the various ways of keeping the audience on edge with expecting the unexpected. It was definitely challenging to learn the technical patterns because they were very different to the conventional patterns that I was used to. So, in that aspect Seeta really helped me develop the ability to not stick to boundaries and be free yet controlled with the movement. All in all, I can be sure to say that every class pushed me to my limits and most of all made realise how the dimensions to Bharatanatyam are quite simply limitless."

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