GARBH

Garbh (womb) is an innovative, in-the-round, outdoor dance work that reimagines ancient Gujarati Folk Dance ‘Garba’, giving voice to this underrepresented ancestral form through contemporary choreography and immersive design.

Honouring divine feminine energy ‘Shakti’, Garbh embodies the source of life, force of transformation, and essence of motherhood. The ensemble, orbiting a lit, central clay lantern that signifies life within the womb, explores themes of community, creation, resilience, and unity, transforming public spaces into vibrant sites of shared celebration and embodied ritual.

Through installation, bespoke soundscape, costume, and culturally rooted choreography, this new work transports audiences through a journey of life’s cycles in an enlivening, soulful experience that speaks to human connection and ecological renewal.

Shyam Dattani is a London-based mover and maker whose practice is grounded by strong technique, training, and choreographic thinking within Kathak.

He is training with Urja Desai Thakore at Pagrav Dance Company (PDC) and was the South Asian Dance category winner of BBC Young Dancer 2017, performing as a grand finalist at Sadler’s Wells. Since then, he has worked extensively with leading South Asian dance choreographers and companies in the UK & beyond, including with PDC, Akademi, Amina Khayyam Dance Co, Beeja and SRISHTI, touring both nationally and internationally.

As an emerging choreographer, Dattani combines his unique perspective as a queer diasporically trained dancer and love for costuming in his work. He has received commissions to create work by the V&A East Storehouse & Akādemi (Mehfooz), Sampad Arts & Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa (Damaru), Without Walls – Blueprint 2023 (Garbh R&D), Richmond Arts & Ideas Festival (Garbh), Akademi & Camden Council (Bedam) and The Place – Choreodrome 2024 (Dvihīna), further supported by Arts Council England.

Mira Salat is a choreographer, performer, and educator with over 18 years of experience in South Asian dance. Her work blends the refined intricacies of classical Kathak with the rhythmic vitality of folk traditions, creating a movement language that is both grounded in heritage and responsive to the present.

Recognised as one of the top 40 South Asian artists in the UK by Akademi, Mira continues to contribute significantly to the British arts landscape. With over 400 performances to her name, she has appeared in some of the country’s most esteemed venues, including the Royal Opera House, Sadler’s Wells, The Barbican, The Curve Theatre, The Lowry, City Hall, and The British Museum.

Since 2007, Mira has led Maati House, an institute committed to high-quality training in classical Kathak.

In addition to her teaching and performance work, Mira is the co-founder and creative co-director of Red Lotus Events, through which she has helped shape and deliver some of the UK’s most vibrant cultural celebrations.