In The Further Soil

MUMBAI: British Council and Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) present In The Further Soil, an ambitious new arts project weaving together dance, music and spoken word. The collaborative arts project tells stories of love, separation and other urban themes, bringing out the ever-changing globalised identities of the youth through these art forms.

The show is inspired by the text of Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), a Bengali poet, philosopher and social reformer, who was the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.

Tagore once said, when commenting on the Indian diaspora; ?To study a banyan tree, you not only must know its main stem in its own soil, but also must trace the growth of its greatness in the further soil, for then you can know the true nature of its vitality.? The name of the project was taken from this one insightful quote.

7 Oct ? Delhi: Performance at British Council, 8:00 p.m.
8 Oct - Gurgaon: Performance at The Epicentre, 8:00 p.m.
14 Oct - Mumbai: Performance at Bandra Amphitheatre, Mumbai, 8:00 p.m.
Entry to all performances is free.

In The Further Soil explores the emergence of contemporary British Asian dance and music forms in the UK and their relation to their traditional roots in India. It has developed through a collaboration of international artists from the UK and India, through a period of experimentation, skills sharing and artistic exploration.

Piali Ray, Co-Producer, and Director of Sampad said: ?In the Further Soil has brought together young, highly talented artists from the UK and India to share, create and celebrate their personal styles and cultural identities.?

In The Further Soil has been written by Satinder Kaur Chohan and Janice Connolly, and directed by Harmage Singh Kalirai, whose credits include Layla Mujnun, Heer Ranjha, and Chicken Tikka Masala ? nominated for the Raindance Award.

The international cast includes Shelley King, Soweto Kinch, Anusha Subramanyam, Ratul Shankar Ghosh, Dibyendu Mukherji and Sanjukta Ray.

In The Further Soil is presented by British Council and Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and has been produced by Birmingham-based South Asian arts organisation Sampad in partnership with Teamwork Productions in India. The production is part of British Council‘s initiative, Connections through Culture, to support collaborative work in the arts.