Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company WITHIN
Play Trailer+ £4.00 transaction fee
What dualities exist in all of us? Let kathak dance invite you to gaze inward.
You’re invited to explore our innermost spaces where humanity and brutality, masculinity and femininity, and good and bad seem to lie in half embrace. WITHIN is a powerful provocation from leading kathak dancer and choreographer Aditi Mangaldas, equally as introspective as it is technically astounding.
15 performers, including dancers and musicians, intertwine and disentangle the deepest of human emotions, beginning with KNOTTED, a contemporary dance based on kathak, and ending with classical kathak in UNWRAPPED.
Considered a maverick in India, Aditi Mangaldas is unafraid to confront social and present-day concerns. Her work has been seen at Sadler’s in Mehek, created with Aakash Odedra, and acclaimed productions FORBIDDEN and IMMERSED. She is recognised for her artistry, technique, eloquence and energy. Beyond classical kathak, she has broken new ground by using her knowledge and experience as a springboard to evolve a unique contemporary style.
Header image © Innee Singh
Header image description: An image composite of two performers. The performer on the left sits facing away from the camera and reaches up. They wear a gold costume with a textured headscarf that covers their face. The performer on the right stands in a lunge, with their hair falling over their face. They wear an orange and red costume with a coarsely woven texture.
What is kathak?
Kathak is an Indian classical dance form originating from North India, characterised by intricate footwork, rapid spins, dynamic movement and storytelling through gestures and mime. Originally performed by traveling bards in temples, it later flourished in royal courts and is now on the global proscenium stage. Kathak has a beautiful synthesis of both Hindu and Islamic cultures, and has developed over the centuries into a secular art form that has a graceful, expressive and highly rhythmic performance style.
“I re-visited mythological stories in the context of the social turmoil of our times. Eventually these have become the subterranean stream that feeds the work. Leaving WITHIN both, ‘knotted’ up in our emotions, and ‘unwrapped’ of them.”
Aditi Mangaldas
transports its audience into the rich musical and visual world of Kathak
★★★★ 1/2 THE WEEKEND WEST
Classical Indian dance that delivers both narrative intelligence and jaw-dropping virtuosity
★★★★ LIMELIGHT MAGAZINE
Aditi’s dance stands out for the contrast it conjures up – charged stillness and whirling energy
THE HINDU
Play trailer
You may also like
Widening Circles
Set against the backdrop of Delhi, amidst the mesmerising rhythms of kathak, witness the layers of Aditi Mangaldas’ identity gracefully intertwine.
Performances
Post-show talk
Members of the company and creative team in conversation with Sir Alistair Spalding. Free to same performance ticket holders. BSL interpreted.
Become a Member
Save 20% on most tickets at Sadler’s Wells’ theatres
Age 16 - 30?
See the best dance in the world for £10 with Barclays Dance Pass at Sadler’s Wells.