Time to book in for view of sensation

May 23 2007 By The Journal

The Queen is among the many admirers of Gauri Sharma Tripathi. Gauri's performances sell out pretty much everywhere she goes.

Her show at Dance City in Newcastle this Friday is likely to follow suit and dance lovers are advised to book early to get a glimpse of the worldwide sensation, who is on her first UK tour.

Gauri is an ambassador for the art of Kathak, a north Indian classical, and rare, dance form.

A dancer and choreographer, she learned the traditional moves from her mother but has incorporated a few Indian folk styles for her performances which have so entranced audiences.

And the Queen, who Gauri met at Buckingham Palace after becoming the first Indian dancer to perform at Westminster Abbey, was said to be equally impressed.

Her new production is Waqt, which translates as "time" and is partly inspired by a poem of the same name by poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar.

Gauri said: "I wanted to investigate how time is perceived differently depending on the context in which it is set, particularly how it connects humans across the world while cultural differences cause variations in nuance and interpretation.

"Waqt explores and illustrates the `bending' of time - how our state of mind and physical context force us to experience time differently."

The result is a rich, charming and magical show, at once fluidly languid and mind-spinningly fast, setting in crazy motion the bells on Gauri's ankles.

And like all works of art, its is colourful, balanced and beautifully composed.

Waqt is Gauri's full-length show and she is accompanied by dancers, vocalists and musicians from the UK and India.

Waqt is supported by GemArts and the Pakistan Cultural Society.

• Friday's show starts at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £8 and £5 (concessions and early bird offers) and are available from the Dance City ticket office on (0191) 261-0505 or online at www.dancecity.co.uk