Two internationally renowned kathak choreographers and dancers will come together at Birmingham Hippodrome next month to present a brand-new work.

Birmingham-born Aakash Odedra and New Delhi-based Aditi Mangaldas have joined forces to create and perform Mehek, a work which explores the power of love, memory, desire, attraction and resilience.

The show focuses on the often taboo subject of love between an older woman and a younger man. In doing so - explains the project’s dramaturg, Karthika Nair - it takes a look at society’s expectations in terms of an ‘acceptable’ relationship, and also celebrates the courage of those who defy societal norms:

“The story explores both the immense strength that one can derive from love and also the challenges that are faced by people who are willing and brave enough to not abide by certain societal preconceptions about who can love and who can be loved.

“We are so used to older men courting, marrying and raising families with younger women, including some very famous men. I think history is ripe with examples. Aditi has been exploring these questions about the double standards we often find in society’s expectations of men as opposed to those that it has for women. 

“She mentions that women get slotted very easily into roles. So first, you’re the daughter, then you’re the suitable lover, then you become the wife, and then you become the mother. The idea that a woman could be multiple things is something that we grapple about. 

“Love is not an exception in terms of how it’s viewed in society. It’s maybe heightened because it comes with an added explosive element, which is feminine desire, which is what all societies try to police. And the idea that an independent woman who is older, and therefore has seen the world and is not necessarily cowed by any kind of influence, should express desire is probably a very frightening thing for many people.”

The title Mehek is derived from the Hindi word for fragrance. The team have been researching ideas of memory and love through Western and South Asian literature and also through the importance of our senses.

“Some of my other early tasks as a dramaturg were to dissect the notion of love and see what the intersections of memory were,” says Karthika. “So, for instance, in the first workshops in Delhi, we worked round the idea of objects or sounds associated with love. What would be the fragrance that one associates with love or a loved one? What would be a memory that one associates with love? And what would be the places associated with love?

“These questions were to stimulate the senses and see what the responses would be in movement terms. For instance, how do you describe the fragrance of love in just movement terms? 

“It’s not a linear narrative necessarily, but there is a story. And with any dance piece, anyone should be able to access it without knowing the back story or having to read the programme notes. So I think my job has been to ensure that, even if it’s abstract, the emotional connections are comprehensible to the audience. The narrative is always true to itself, and my role is just to make sure that all of the ingredients which go into making the piece are coherent.”

As part of the research and development of the show, the team worked with Leicester-based creative dance company Moving Together in Mehek Live, a community-engagement project during which they listened to the experiences and views of older people. Workshops exploring dance, music, memory and story-sharing have so far involved more than 450 people in venues including care homes and community centres.

“It was humbling and moving, because we got to explore so many questions with them. One of the questions I asked was: ‘When love ends, what remains? What do you give, and what do you take back?’

And I remember one woman saying that even when love ends, it never ends. 

“I think they felt heard, and that is wonderful because we often don’t have time for older people, especially for their memories. These workshops gave a platform for memories. They could bring their memories and know they are treasured.

“Not every project comes with these echoes. For me, it was one of the big takeaways. It was wonderful that the company facilitated those weeks and continues to do so. They are on at it even now, so there are all these homes and community centres where Mehek is still alive.”

Karthika believes the production and the themes it explores are accessible to people of all backgrounds.

“I don’t think one needs cultural shorthands to unpack the story; it’s really identifiable. There is a certain amount of kathak vocabulary, but much of it is also universal. When you hold a hand in front of your face, it symbolises a mirror, and that’s very clearly so in kathak, but I think that becomes very clear to anyone who is watching. And Aakash and Aditi are extraordinary performers. They perform to people all over the world who have never even heard the word kathak or know anything about the code and language of South Asian dance.”

Born in Kerala and now living in France, Karthika is a writer, academic and dance enabler who has worked with companies across the globe. Co-founder (with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui) of Antwerp-based dance company Eastman, she has also worked with numerous internationally renowned dancers and choreographers, including Akram Khan, Carlos Pons Guerra and Shobana Jeyasingh. Mehek, she says, is a rare chance for audiences to see two of the international stars of South Asian dance performing together.

“This is a duet by two extraordinary performers who are both very conversant in different techniques. Aditi has been dancing for close to 50 years - since she was a child - but in the last decade or so, her work has also encompassed the contemporary. Aakash has always inhabited these various spheres. So what audiences can expect is performers who are hypnotic, powerful dancers.
“I guess one thing we would like through this piece is to gently remind ourselves that we needn’t be judgmental; that we can just let ourselves be happy that others are happy; that who you love is a personal thing. And also that we should be so lucky, whatever our age, to find someone to love us or to find someone to love. Life is short; it’s horribly unpredictable. Love, for all the messiness that it brings, is also salvation.”

Feature by Diane Parkes

Aakash Odedra Company and Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company present Mehek at Birmingham Hippodrome on Tuesday 9 April