For only two more performances this week, Hippodrome associate Aakash Odedra presents a highly emotional and cinematic new dance production, eight months after the performance won Best Show at Edinburgh's International Festival.

Songs of the Bulbul blends Kathak dance and Sufi storytelling to create an elegant and moving piece of work, which explores the symbolism of the nightingale, or Bulbul, while telling a deeply personal story under the surface. Inspired by Sufi myth, the dance follows the narrative of songs being sung by a priceless captive bird - so highly prized that when caught, it is immediately placed in the hands of royalty. The titular ‘songs’ of the Bulbul are sung in tighter and tighter captivity. First, the bird is placed looking at the sky, hoping to be free again. Next, it is deprived of light, wishing to see the sun. The Bulbul is finally blinded, at which point, it sings its final, and most beautiful, song.

The production is a collaboration between several creators who have each produced their element of the show to blend seamlessly into the whole. At the center of everything is the amazing dance of Birmingham-born Aakash Odedra, choreographed by Rani Khanam. Odedra’s elegant, bird-like movements are captivating, telling an aching story without words, and growing more intense as the piece reaches its climax. Underpinning the movement is Rushil Ranjan’s cinematic score, which swells at moments of high emotion and in turn ebbs away to nothing.

Alongside the musical and physical performance is the beautiful visual design - set, lighting and costume all feel perfectly balanced, pure and essential to the story. This is a large-scale production, pared back to its essence. This is reflected in the apparent simplicity of Odedra’s costume, designed by Kanika Thakur, which swirls and flares in response to the dancer's movement. Similarly dynamic, Fabiana Piccioli’s lighting design picks out moments for the audience's attention, creating boundaries and symbolism out of empty space. Two particularly memorable sequences feature intensely bright flashing lights which, combined with Odedra’s sweeping movement, is extremely effective.

The stage of the Patrick Studio itself, set designed by Emanuele Salamanca, offers hints of the natural world. Slender tree trunks are suspended from the ceiling, interacting with the light, and a crescent of candles sweeps around the space. The floor is scattered with rose petals - the Bulbul is closely linked to roses - which swirl and eddie beneath Odedra’s movement.

Songs of the Bulbul is a profoundly personal production, the result of an outpouring of love and care from everyone involved. It is mesmerizing and moving - a deeply impressive and unforgettable piece of dance storytelling.