Jashn-e-Awadh at Ductac

February 25 and 26
 
A contemporary retelling of the legend of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah and how he single-handedly revived the art form of kathak and Indian theatre, sees 50 plus local talent going by the name Malhaar Choir put together a musical extravaganza few may have ever seen before.

The conceptualiser of Jashn-e-Awadh, Jogiraj Sikidar, says: “The story unravels in present day, where a young boy who is interested in fusion music is on a journey across India to catch his favourite band in concert,” he says. “En route, he lands in Luknow on a railway platform waiting for a train to get him on the final leg of his journey, when a shrewd tourist guide crosses his path, and the as they say, the rest is history.”

The flashback sequence comprises musical compositions, which Sikidar says has been learned from his teacher Professor Rita Ganguly, along with 15 songs he composed himself based on different Indian raagas or notes. The lyrics, however, are poetic words penned by Shah himself in the era gone by.

Choreographing the dances is Vaibhavi Mhaisalkar, who is trained in the Lucknow style of Kathak, which Sikidar says will blow anyone away who is even remotely interested in any dance form.Tickets for the show start at Dh50 and go all the way to Dh 70 and Dh150, with two-hour show being staged at 6.30pm on both 25th and 26th, at Ductac, Mall of the Emirates.

Also See:

A theatrical celebration of Indian history in Dubai

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