Akademi presents APOTHEOSIS: Indian classical dance at the British Museum

Presented in collaboration with Akademi & The Motion Dance Collective, this spellbinding performance took place in the Sir Joseph Hotung Gallery of the British Museum on the evening 15 November 2019 to a live audience of over 1000 audience members. Devised in response to the Museum's South Asia collection, it brought the objects to life and charged them with the life-force they were created to hold.

Following the galleries prolonged closure since March 2020, we are premiering this video to celebrate South Asia Heritage Month 2021. We hope you enjoy.

Credits:

Consultant Director: Divya Kasturi

Dancers: Archita Kumar, Odissi Ensemble (Elena Catalano, Kavita Kaur and Maryam Shakiba), Upahaar School of Dance (Daniella Zak Zara Varghese and Piya Verma), Payal Ramchandani and Suhani Dhanki.

Akademi 40th anniversary Producer: Nina Head

Film: James Williams

Thumbnail photo: Vipul Sangoi

Supported by Arts Council England and The British Museum

Special thanks to: Richard Blurton, Sushma Jansari and Freddie Matthews from the British Museum

[NiyatiBhavsar]

Temple dances were banned in india by the British. Amusing to see a performance in a London museum.

[devonlawton]

There is an uncomfortable tension, I think, in celebrating a culture in a room full of stolen cultural artifacts. That being said, it was absolutely beautiful. You can see the hard work and training in the precision of the movements, the elegance and grace. I love how the clothes compliment and add to the dance, emphasizing the flourishes of the dancers, and the way the accessories add to the music, everything perfectly in rhythm

[dsr]

Idols and pieces of art can be stolen, but a real culture lives and blossoms through its people. Those dancers brought those stolen sculptures back to life.

[mnemonyss]

Imagine doing this in an actual temple, how the air would be so charged by the music, and it would feel so different to the dancers.

[jcucumbera]

I actually love how they aer performing at the british museum. it’s like the indians are mocking the colonizers that however harsh they are, they would NEVER kill the spirit of on culture entirely, the image of the indian woman dancing around the all set up gallery, and the very fact that the british are using the indian culture to attract tourists, love this

[ishraknoor]

While marveling at the beautiful dance, I coudn't resist the thought that the place is full of stolen artifacts. This hypocrisy of British Museum sparkled a silent anguish inside me.

[MrPrav]

You gotta remember these idols was in India at one time and these idols have seen countless ceremonies in the past, but after it was taken from its original location, it probably has never seen or heard any Indian ceremonial, dance or songs so after so many years, these idols are awoken back up..

[CorinaSilva-ov]

I'm mexican and I understand the point about ancient stolen pieces....an another hand is absolutely beautiful art from India. Greetings from México. 😃

[bharathkumarsm]

0:15 , 15:10 ( bharathanatyam, tamilnadu(tamil) 🇮🇳)
4:52 (odissi, odisha(odia) 🇮🇳)
9:39 ( kuchipudi, andrapradesh(telugu)🇮🇳)
21:34 ( kathak, uttarpradesh(hindi) 🇮🇳) jai hind!!

[Jazangel]

I’m not Indian but I admire the people and the culture so much. So much beauty preserved in their arts, traditions and culture. As divine as this presentation is…I do hope those artifacts are returned to Mother India.

[jayasuria]

Hindu Gods and Deities being rightfully showered with ancient dance form by devotees. It is high time British Museum returns these divine artefacts to where they belong, original land of spirituality

[shambho_abha]

I cried ..cried and cried.. tears were unstoppable at first remembering all the attacks my BHARAT MAA has gone through all these centuries…. Trying to dismantle our culture… but we were resilient .. and we came out even stronger…. I am absolutely shamelessly proud to be born in SANATANA DHARMA in BHARAT BHUMI… ! 😭🙏

[Vedanarayanan]

Nothing in this world to beat Indian culture and traditions, if one has to attain inner peace, our traditions show the path .Each Indian should realize this .What a beautiful, devoted dance Hats off to the dancers

[brooklynnchick]

India has breathtakingly beautiful cultures and beautiful people. I feel fortunate to be alive as India, once again, becomes a leader among the nations of the world. Health, fortune, and blessings to all Indian people!
Respectfully - a woman of the West in America 🇺🇸

[dipanshipriyapriyamvadasri]

They banned classical dances in temples.. Even my country was under slavery for more than thousand years yet my country and my culture is unbeatable in it.... Proud to be a Indian.... 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳

[EdwardPlantagenet]

Indians wrote 1st book on Songs (Samveda), 1st treatise on Dance (Nattyashastra), 1st treatise on SXX (Kaamsutra),
One of the earliest book of Phonetics, Prosody, Grammar, Etymology and Astronomy before Christ.

[ivarhakuse]

Museums are filled with relics of dead cultures civilisations. Funny isn’t it that our cultural civilizational life is not dead. That those pieces in the museum remain very much attached to our lives. This was reflected in the gestures and offerings made by the dancers to Shiva Nataraja

[locrianmood]

The first bharatnatyam woman is especially fantastic wow. Each movement and tandav is so precise

[Naschira]

When I was little, my aunt had a big tea tin at home. On this jar were painted Indian dancers, just like these girls. I immediately remembered this jar.

[globalcitizenn]

You can see how Spanish Flamenco is a direct descendant of Indian Kathak (the last dance) brought to Europe by the Romani people of India (“gypsies”)