Canonically, artists have always been yoked with tragedy; from Van Gogh to Beethoven, we can’t escape the romantic notion one must give themselves completely to realise potent, timeless art. Songs of the Bulbul
In the hands of Aakash Odedra, a performer who, in his own words, ‘leaves a part of [himself] on the stage for the people watching’, this idea finds resonance with the Sufi tale of the captive nightingale or bulbul. Faced with its impending death, the tormented bird sings ever more sweetly and desperately, until finally, it finds its only possible freedom through liberation from our material world.
Since its premiere in Edinburgh in 2024, Odedra’s solo work Songs of the Bulbul has transfixed audiences all over the UK, and now finally lands in Melbourne’s Arts Centre as a polished, mesmerising dance spectacle.
It’s immense and poetic choreography from a master of his form, Odedra leaping and twirling around the stage, skirt wisping in the air, seamlessly transitioning between Kathak and contemporary movement styles.
He twitches and patters like a regal bird, leading us effortlessly on an odyssey from soaring splendour to deepest despair, all through his exquisite technique and concentrated, generous stage presence – he really does leave it all out there.
It’s agonising to watch the bulbul’s decline, but Odedra is so magnetic and captivating that it’s hard to look away, resulting in a powerful blurring of beauty and anguish that transports you in a way few pieces can.
Rushil Ranjan’s composition feels rich and majestic, blending traditional tabla, bansuri and Sufi vocals with Western orchestra arrangements. Violins swooning and vocals crying, it brings Songs of the Bulbul into epic, cinematic territory, enhancing the inflection of our bulbul’s deterioration.
The lyricism and intrigue of Sufi storytelling come through in spades, embedded in every design choice and choreographic flourish; Songs of the Bulbul does not shy from its own theatricality. Floating red rose petals periodically drift down from above, swept up by the minimal, gossamer-like Angarkha designed by Kanika Thakur, unintrusive costume and set design that provides atmospheric, breath-taking stage pictures.
Songs of the Bulbul
Fabiana Piccioli delivers a masterclass in lighting design, angular spotlights and an arc of candles creating a space that’s haunting and dreamlike. Light and shadow are used deftly, as are the candles, in a standout illusion sequence near the end of the piece – a must watch for any budding lighting designers.
As Odedra’s bulbul takes his last, heart-wrenching gasp, you leave with the sense you’ve witnessed something magical, and that art and death are perhaps not so far apart.
READ ALSO: Aakash Odedra: Rising to the sky
