ROOH: Within her
Join us for this compelling solo piece from renowned choreographer and performer Urja Desai Thakore. In ROOH: Within Her, Urja Desai Thakore explores narratives in quiet, everyday, heroism across two millennia. She stages the turmoil of a mother — a celebrated figure in ancient Tamil literature — who scours the battlefield in search of her son’s body, determined to disprove rumours he died fleeing the enemy. She recreates Chaaran Kanya, renowned Gujarati author Zaverchand Meghani’s account of the folk heroine Heerbai: the teenage cowherdess who drives away a lion that dared to attack her favourite calf, while the entire village quakes in fear.
Other inspirational figures – some lost in time, others lesser-known – take centre-stage as Urja Desai Thakore connects distant past and recent history to individual choices, creative and personal, and celebrates how all these seemingly minor narratives influence our current and future selves.
Rooh is a new production by Pagrav Dance Company, supported by Arts Council England, Milton Keynes City Council, Sadler’s Wells, South East Dance, SAA-UK, and Gem Arts.
Credits:
Choreography and performance: Urja Desai Thakore
Writer/dramaturge: Karthika Naïr
Music/soundscape: Alap Desai featuring Abha Desai, Urja Desai Thakore, Mahika Thakore, and Geeta Sridhar
Musicians: Gurdain Siingh , Kaviiraj Singh, Prathap Ramachandra, Vijay Venkat
Set and lighting design: Willy Cessa
Costume design: Sandhya Raman
Assistant choreographer/rehearsal director: Mira Salat
Production manager: Mat Ort
Sound engineer: Camilo Tirado
Executive Producer: Lia Prentaki