Bollywood Steps is a large-scale site specific dance spectacularn created and choreographed by Simmy Gupta with live music and water effects
Co-commissioned by Greenwich and Docklands International Festival and the Mayor of London and originally presented at Trafalgar Square and Canary Wharf, summer 2004.
A company of 11 professional performers (9 Bollywood/hip hop dancers and 2 dhol drummers) are joined by up to 20 community performers in each city to mount this large scale dance celebration of Bollywood film using the architectural landscapes of towns and cities as a natural stage.
Inspired by the architecture and energy of outdoor spaces such as Town Halls, libraries, galleries and museums. Bollywood Steps celebrates the dramatic changes in mood and motion of these public spaces.
The piece draws on elements notorious from their use in Bollywood film – the glamour, the wet sari scene, the kaleidoscope of quick costume changes, boy meets girl – the courtship – the marriage! It celebrates these in a series of typically exciting dance numbers incorporating bhangra, hip hop, break dancing, classical Indian dance, creative, salsa, jazz, flamenco and contemporary dance. Drawing also on Busby Berkley’s huge Hollywood dance numbers, the piece uses an array of lavish dance props, frequent costume changes, clever use of smoke, pyrotechnics and water effects, throughout the 45-minute dance performance to create striking images and reference famous scenes from Bollywood films. The piece ends as nearly every Bollywood film does - with a magnificent wedding scene - which includes a large water effect that will shoot up to 30ft into the air.
Each performance is located in a significant outdoor location in its host city, with the choreography taking its inspiration from the steps on which it is set. The ideas for the show follow in the footsteps of Bollywood films which so often create large scale dance numbers set in the hustle and bustle of well-known outdoor locations - several extremely popular Bollywood films have used locations in the UK, as the stories, settings and styles update and change with the times.
The core professional company perform numbers across a range of dance styles, that offers an unusually strong integration of the professional and community members of the company.
Artistic Director: Simmy Gupta
Music: Niraj Chag
Water Effects: Michael Lister, Avanti Display
Pyrotechnics: Sam Samkin, Walk the Plank
Producer: Julian Rudd, Remarkable Productions
Technical Specifications
The show is best presented on a broad rise of steps, for example in front of a large municipal building, as at Trafalgar Square. It can however be performed on staging, as at the London Mela 2006. The show is versatile and can be adjusted to fit most sites but needs a fairly large space for the 11 professionals plus 8 - 20 community performers.
Bollywood Steps will be touring in 2007. For further information on booking this show please contact Julian@remarkableproductions.org