Aakash Odedra Company

Songs of the Bulbul, a new dance work by Aakash Odedra with choreography by Rani Khanam and music by Rushil Ranjan, is inspired by the ancient Sufi myth of a bulbul captured and held in captivity. The bird was bound ever closer and slowly perished through despair, singing more sweetly as its end drew nearer, until it uttered one final, heartbreaking and piercingly beautiful song just before it departed the mortal world. Songs of the Bulbul invites audiences to witness a transformation transcending physical boundaries towards enlightenment. Odedra poses a universal question: Will we, like the caged bird, remain bound to the material world, or will we soar towards a higher existence of liberation, and the divine?

About Aakash Odedra Company

Born in Birmingham and living in Leicester, Aakash Odedra is a globally recognized and award-winning dancer and choreographer. His work forms the heart of the company and Aakash has performed over 300 full length performances in 40 countries since he and producer Anand Bhatt formed the Aakash Odedra Company in 2011.

Awards include the Amnesty International Award for Freedom of Expression; Best Dance at the Eastern Eye ACTA Awards 2018; and a nomination for Best Stage Production at the 2019 Asian Media Awards for his production #JeSuis. Notable commissions include James Brown: Get on the Good Foot(Apollo Theater, New York) and in 2017 Aakash choreographed for the Royal Opera House production Sukanya composed by the late great Ravi Shankar. Aakash was also movement director for Curve Theatre’s Pink Sari Revolution.

As a solo performer Aakash has received numerous awards including: Danza&Danza award(Italy); a Dora performance award (Canada); Audience Award Dance Week (Croatia); Infant Award (Serbia); Bessie Award New York (Best Male Performer); and a Sky Academy Arts Scholarship. He trained in bharatanatyam and kathak, then moved to India as a student of the renowned Bollywood choreographer Shiamak Davar. This was the start of a relationship with Shiamak Davar International which has culminated in the extensive programme of dance classes currently taught weekly to over a thousand people across the Midlands and London.

Aakash Odedra Company is a deeply-rooted, local community organization. Founded and based in Leicester we produce projects and events to engage the local communities, while facing outwards to embrace the world. Constantly travelling the world, we draw inspiration from the audiences, artists and participants we meet and the local, regional, national and international partners we work with. AOC celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2021.