We are so excited that SPIN OUT Festival is returning this summer for more performances around our wonderful town.
SPIN OUT is our annual season of open-air performances from the most exciting performers of theatre, circus, music, and dance. All of the shows are completely free to the public, offering both residents and visitors the chance to engage with and enjoy thrilling innovative outdoor performances.
The season kicks off with Jham!, an upbeat and energetic performance comprised of traditional dancing.
Jham! will be on at 12:30pm and 2pm on Saturday 9 July, at Montague Place.
Jham! is brought to you by Artistic Director of Srishti, Nina Rajarani MBE, an award-winning choreographer of classical Indian dance with 30 years’ experience as a dance-maker. She fuels traditions of Bharatanatyam and Kathak with contemporary artistic practice and ideas.
Nina’s latest production is an upbeat, playful, and energetic musical collaboration between dancers and musicians that uses creative improvisation – or “jamming” – to initiate a rhythmic interplay between classical and modern forms of music and dance.
Jham! has a distinctly contemporary feel, with four musicians – including a beatboxer, a saxophonist and a traditional Karnatik vocalist – performing alongside four Kathak and Bharatanatyam dancers.
We spoke to Nina to find out more:
How are you feeling about the upcoming performance at Worthing’s Spin Out Festival?
Really excited! We haven’t performed in Worthing before, so it is a new opening for the company for which we are really grateful.
Tell us a bit about the show. Where did the idea come from? What can we expect?
I first made this piece in 2013 for touring to indoor venues. ‘Jham’ is a percussive syllable used in Indian classical dance and music and because the word reminds me of ‘jam’ I created a piece in which the musicians and dancers were ‘jamming’ together, so there was already an air of spontaneity with the way the artists interacted with each other, even within the formal atmosphere of an indoor theatre. I could immediately see the potential for it to become a piece that would drop some of its formality and would go one step further to be interactive with the audience.
What has the development of this piece looked like?
This piece allows the performers to interact with their audience as part of the performance, building up a rapport with them. Outdoor touring is so much fun because of its informal set up, and because the barrier between the performers and the audience is minimised. The development of this piece has created a performance that everyone enjoys performing as the artists can really take ownership of their role.
What’s your favourite part of the performance?
Definitely all the improvised sections of the piece. There is something new every time I watch the piece, and each performer’s character comes through. The surprise element never fails to put a smile on my face. It is such a happy piece.
Anything else you want to share or feel is significant?
This piece is an amalgamation of different cultures and artforms, bringing together 2 classical dance forms (Kathak from North India and Bharatanatyam from South India), a funky beatboxer and classical Indian vocalist, tabla and mridangam which are percussion instruments from the north and south respectively, as well as a classical flute and a jazzy saxaphone. There is something for everyone.
SPIN OUT is an entirely free festival, but it’s always worth booking tickets to secure your place in the audience. You don’t want to miss out! Click the name of the performance to book your tickets.
While SPIN OUT is free for you to enjoy, you can support us in other ways, from becoming a member to one-off donations. Click here to see how you can support your local arts charity, and keep the quality art and culture alive.