Once upon a time… in a faraway land… it happened… did not happen… could have happened. History is passed on like stories from generation to generation. But what if the stories are not what they seem?
This award-winning work is an international collaboration between UK Classical Indian artist Seeta Patel and Australian choreographer Lina Limosani.
This work blends techniques from Bharatanatyam, contemporary dance & theatre to create a poetic narrative that has the beauty & disquiet of a Grimm’s fairy-tale. Told through a fairytale, this theatrical work's story unfolds through movement, dance, and music with a continuous poetic and evocative narration. With striking imagery, it’s a one-woman show which subversively co-opts whitewashing against itself, with cultural appropriation at its core.
This accessible show blurs the lines between dance and theatre with a story that aligns perfectly with our history of colonialism. It’s a visual performative metaphor that talks about power and manipulation, stories and culture, BUT most importantly, it's about awareness, about each of our contributions, and the roles we play in creating the story we are in today.
Not Today's Yesterday took home the Graham Smith Peace Foundation Award and the Bank SA Best in Dance Award at the 2018 Adelaide Fringe.
The inspiration stems from our concerns that revisionist and airbrushed histories have become a central issue of tension throughout the world, in particular Western democracies. History is being dressed up to make a more readily acceptable narrative for us to consume to the detriment of diverse voices and stories being heard.
Britain and Australia, amongst others, have sordid histories and relationships with indigenous and migrant communities. Skewed histories fuel a distorted sense of nationalism. This work aims to open up conversation through a clever appropriation of whitewashed histories and give a voice back to lost histories and communities.
Not Today’s Yesterday embraces a new artistic form through the cross-pollination of contemporary dance with the traditional form Bharatanatyam the art of storytelling.
This work was created between Australia, England, and Poland and toured to the UK, India, Italy, and Australia, including a season at 2020 AsiaTOPA Festival in Melbourne.
NOT TODAY'S YESTERDAY
NO FURTHER TOURING AVAILABLE
CREDITS:
SEETA PATEL: Concept & Story, Performer & Co-Writer (UK)
LINA LIMOSANI: Director, Choreographer & Sound Designer (Australia)
LYDIA CAWSON: Costume Designer (UK)
SHARMILA CHAUHAN: Co-Writer (UK)
CHRIS FAULDS: Set Designer (UK)
BARNABY BOOTH: Lighting Designer (UK)
KYRA HERZFELD: Dramaturg (Australia)
PRESS REVIEWS
'This is outstanding, innovative, must-see dance'. Peter Burdon -The Advertiser
'Not Today’s Yesterday is a poised and thoughtful work and a spectacular performance from a powerful dancer.' Frodo Allan - Broadway Baby
'Thought-provoking, multi-layered and engaging, this one-woman show gives you much to dwell on.' Kelly Apter - The Scotsman
'A punchy and expertly performed response to today’s increasing political grotesquerie'. The Guardian
'An unmissable treat.' Martin Thomasson - The British Theatre Guide
'This is an important piece of dance theatre. It is authentic and honest but most importantly, it wills you to think for yourself.’ Charlotte Maxwell - Afronalysis
'Dancer and choreographer Lina Limosani’s work is always intelligent and often daring.' Alan Brissendon
'Verdict: An exceptional piece of political theatre that speaks volumes without a word being said on the stage' Charlotte Maxwell - Afronalysis
‘With work such as this, one feels one should give a round of applause some 48 hours later.' Broadway World UK
PROMOTIONAL CLIP
VOX POPS
POLAND RESONSES