9 April
Aakash Odedra likes to toy with and stimulate our senses. Sound and light play an important part in Odedra’s stage work, which is conceived as a whole experience. The classical Kathak dance style he employs is the result of modern and other cultural influences working in harmony to produce a language of movement, which, to a western sensibility, is both exotic and accessible. It is a true fusion in the very best sense of the term.
This work is an interpretation through dance of the sensual experiences of lovers in a union that is blind to age and the taboos of the generations. The word of the title means fragrance or smell and reminds us of the deep connection between smell and memory. An older woman and a younger man open themselves to each other and through that to a sensual experience that is only accessible through unmediated passion.
The setting by Tina Tzoka is a void filled with shards of glass (Perspex). These are used as a metaphor, possibly for something that has shattered, possibly for the multi-faceted experience of the lovers who at various points seem to be trying to put them back together. Or are they reflections of the sun beneath the waves? The lighting by Fabiana Piccioli is integral to the proper functioning of the set. Beams of light refract off the shards, dividing the space and adding complexity and reminding us of the multifarious consequences of a single act.
The dance itself is breathtaking in its complexity and precision. Aditi Mangaldas, in her first ever duet, seems to revel in the blending of classical and contemporary styles. The swirling exuberance of the duets takes us beyond cultural norms and conventions to something elemental in human relationships where dance can express in ways that need no interpretation or knowledge.
We have a contemporary expression of, ‘laying down some shapes’, on the dance floor. There is much shape-making in Kathak. Odedra lays down his shapes and uses light to play with the space. In one passage an almost magical effect is produced with his hands seeming to be made of red hot metal as they close in on the head of one of the musicians who seemed to come between the lovers.
Integral to the dance is the musical score and soundscape of Nicki Wells whose voice, sometimes haunting, sometimes ethereal and soaring is an essential feature of the emotional narrative.
Watching excellence at work is always a pleasure and it is something Odedra and Mangaldas offer with peerless virtuosity and imagination.
★★★★★ Graham Wyles 10 April 2024
Photo credit: Angela Grabowska
