Perth Festival 2026 Announces Australian Premiere of Aakash Odedra's Intimate Dance Work
Perth Festival 2026 is set to present a significant cultural event with the Australian premiere of Aakash Odedra's profoundly personal performance, Songs Of The Bulbul. This solo dance work will grace the stage at His Majesty's Theatre from February 13 to 15, marking Odedra's return to Perth after an eleven-year absence since his 2015 festival appearance.
A Conversation with the Unseen: Odedra's Philosophy of Dance
Aakash Odedra, the award-winning UK-born artist of Indian descent, describes dance as far more than a career. He regards it as a conversation with the unseen, a language without words, and a world of fantasy that he can enter and exit at will. For Odedra, dance is his lover, life partner, and friend—an integral part of his identity since childhood.
Growing up in Birmingham and Leicester with grandparents and parents born in Africa, Odedra embraces a global citizen identity. He views his nomadic lifestyle and diverse cultural experiences as a palette of colours, with the stage serving as his canvas for artistic expression.
The Evolution of Aakash Odedra Company
Following his 2015 Perth performance of Rising—featuring solo works by himself and choreographic giants Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Akram Khan, and Russell Maliphant—Odedra has continued to develop his artistic vision through the Aakash Odedra Company. Founded in 2011 with Anand Bhatt, the company functions as a vessel for action and a voice for change.
I truly believe that change is the only constant in life, Odedra shares. With each day, the vision and mission of the company slowly adapts and evolves. His upcoming Perth appearance represents an opportunity to share eleven years of artistic growth and life experience with Australian audiences.
Songs Of The Bulbul: A Tribute and Spiritual Journey
Songs Of The Bulbul stands as a heartfelt tribute to Odedra's mother, who passed away in 2020. Described as poetry in motion, the work premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2024 and represents a fusion of Kathak dance with Sufi storytelling traditions.
Odedra explains his choreographic approach: My style involves translating personal experiences into collective experiences. The work begins with either contemporary or Kathak forms, which then create space for storytelling. This methodology results in an intensely physical and spiritual performance that resonates on multiple levels.
The Symbolism of the Bulbul: Captivity, Song, and Freedom
The performance draws deeply from Persian cultural symbolism, where nightingales (bulbuls) represent the soul's yearning for unity with the divine. Their songs, often directed toward the rose, symbolise both earthly beauty and the divine beloved, capturing humanity's pursuit of spiritual enlightenment.
The work tells the story of a bulbul trapped in captivity, Odedra reveals. Bound by constraints, the bird's despair deepens as its final moments approach. Yet it sings more sweetly as death draws near, delivering one last heartbreaking song before its soul departs. This tale explores sacrifice, beauty, and freedom found only in ultimate release.
The Artist as Caged Bird: Parallels Between Performance and Life
Odedra finds striking parallels between the bulbul's harsh training process and the life of an artist. I feel as an artist, every time I perform, I leave a part of myself on stage and also die a little, all in the quest for freedom, he shares. This reflection raises profound questions about artistic expression and human yearning.
Why is the song of the caged bird so powerful? Odedra muses. Because the caged bird sings for freedom—something we all yearn for on multiple levels. The beauty of the songbird's melody serves as a metaphor for dance's fleeting moments and life's fragile nature.
A Message of Shared Humanity and Resilience
Through Songs Of The Bulbul, Odedra extends a message of universal connection and perseverance. Life is fragile, he observes. You are not alone on your journey, and we all feel the same struggles in different ways. Never give up and find the poetry of your own life.
This Australian premiere at Perth Festival 2026 promises to be more than a dance performance—it represents a spiritual exploration, a personal tribute, and a celebration of artistic resilience that speaks to shared human experiences across cultures and backgrounds.
