THE LIONS HAVE LANDED

A pride of lions with celebrity credentials has taken centre stage across London, celebrating the iconic species through an exceptional street art exhibition. 

London is now home to a pride of x27 individually curated life-sized lion sculptures which can be found at iconic landmarks around the capital until the end of September. These magnificent beasts have been designed or painted by a number of internationally recognised faces including Rolling Stones guitarist, Ronnie Wood; fine art photographer, David Yarrow; artists Jake Chapman, Gavin Turk and David Mach; and actors Mathew Horne, Noel Fielding and John Cleese.

Tusk has once again teamed up with Curator Chris Westbrook who has brought together a spectacular array of talented artists from the world of art, design, film, theatre and comedy, to release a phenomenal Pride of Lion sculptures across the world.

Following the huge success and popularity of the Tusk Rhino Trail in 2018, the British charity has launched 47 life-sized lion sculptures onto the streets in iconic locations worldwide including a number of UK cities (London, Edinburgh and Bristol), The Hamptons – New York, Sydney, Wellington and Nairobi.

The installation will encourage visitors to follow the ‘trails’ via easy-to-use physical and digital maps, allowing them to ‘collect’ lions as they go. This fun, interactive experience is the perfect activity for families.

The population of African lions is estimated to have declined by as much as 50% over the last 25 years. There are now fewer wild lions left in the world than rhinos. Each sculpture will highlight the magnificence of lions, threats to their existence and the people and solutions working for their survival – raising awareness for conservation efforts across the world.

Full list of London Installations

Ronnie Wood | Not Lying Lion | Piccadilly Circus
○ Sponsored by DHL
2. Noel Fielding | A Hard Mane is Gonna Fall | Piccadilly Circus
○ Sponsored by Nick Maughan Foundation
3. John Cleese and Jen Wade | Pilgrim | Trafalgar Square, North West Terrace
○ Sponsored by Lion Trust
4. David Mach | Signs of the Times | Piccadilly Circus
○ Sponsored by Emso
5. David Yarrow | The Kings of Lion | Royal Exchange
○ Sponsored by Genesis Imaging
6. George Morton-Clark | Suffering Saviour | Cecil Court
○ Sponsored by Richard Carter
7. Adam Dant | London Pride | Covent Garden
○ Sponsored by Bowmark Capital
8. Glen Baxter | English King | Glasshouse Street
○ Sponsored by Capital.com
9. Nick Gentry | Wild Roots | St Martins in the Field – Crypt
○ Sponsored by BlackRock
10. Gerry McGovern | Long Live The Lion | Prince’s Arcade
○ Sponsored by Land Rover
11. Mathew Horne | Golden Wonder | Carnaby Street
○ Sponsored by Nick Maughan Foundation
12. Patrick Hughes | Manebow | Burlington Arcade
○ Sponsored by Capricorn Private Investments
13. John Illsley | Big Blue | Glass House Street
○ Sponsored by Currency.com
14. Sara Shamma | Ripping / Cuddling | Leicester Street, Leicester Square
○ Sponsored by Animal Friends
15. Hannah Shergold | Brian The Lion | St James’s Churchyard
○ Sponsored by Fladgate LLP
16. Rob & Nick Carter | Rose Lion, 2021| Burlington Arcade
○ Sponsored by Justerini & Brooks
17. Jake Chapman | Why Oh Why Oh Why | Leicester Square West
○ Sponsored by Orchard Global Asset Management
18. Ian Davenport | Kamuro | St James’s Churchyard
#TuskLionTrail @tusk_org
○ Sponsored by Mishcon de Reya
19. Helen Downie | Nathan | St James’s Churchyard
○ Sponsored by Boodle Hatfield
20. Michael Foreman | Untitled | St James’s Market
○ Sponsored by Nick Maughan Foundation
21. Dr Handa Harusha | Azami | Waterloo Place
○ Sponsored by ISPS Handa
22. Lee Mack | Three Shirts On A Lion | Royal Exchange
○ Sponsored by Deutsche Bank
23. Paul Onditi | Sirkon | Covent Garden
○ Sponsored by Ninety One
24. Mauro Peruccheti | Limited Edition | The Ritz
○ Sponsored by DP World
25. Ray Richardson | The Return of the Urban Casual | Waterloo Place
○ Sponsored by Satis Asset Management
26. Gavin Turk | Blue Lion, 2021 | St Martins in the Field – Crypt
○ Sponsored by Vodafone
27. Sally Wood with Jess Power | Protect Me | Carnaby Street
○ Sponsored by DP World

DHL is the global lead partner for the Tusk Lion Trail, which is co-sponsored by ISPS Handa. The Trail in The Hamptons and New York is organised in partnership with the African Community and Conservation Foundation (ACCF).

More information about the event can be found here: www.tuskliontrail.com Please follow @tusk_org and #TuskLionTrail #TheLionsAreComing

ABOUT TUSK
Tusk’s mission is to amplify the impact of progressive conservation initiatives across Africa. The charity has earned a reputation for providing a highly efficient solution for funding wildlife
conservation programmes. Tusk partners with the most effective local organisations, investing in their in-depth knowledge and expertise. By supporting and nurturing their conservation
programmes, it helps accelerate growth from an innovative idea to a scalable solution. For more than 30 years, Tusk has helped pioneer an impressive range of successful conservation initiatives across more than 20 countries, increasing vital protection for over 70
million hectares of land and more than 40 different threatened species. But the threat to Africa’s unique natural heritage remains real and more urgent than ever.

An innovative portrayal of Chandalika as a solo piece by Suchismita Ganguly, an accomplished Bharatnatyam dancer.

It will powerfully present the intense desire of a marginalised woman named Praktriti (the protagonist) to possess the man who treats her as a social equal. Suchismita will be seen performing the key characters of both Prakriti, the daughter and her mother, in this classic work by Indian Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
The choreography is based on the Indian classical dance form of Bharatnatyam, and incorporates elements of intense dance theatre with creative use of props and dramatic lighting.

Suchismita hopes that through this production she will not only create an unique dance-theatrical experience for her audience but will also inspire varied creative possibilities in the presentation of South Asian Dance.

Rabindranath Tagore’s musical ‘Land of Cards’ is an allegorical play dealing with issues of free will in a totalitarian state, migration, gender rights and the environment.

A prince and his friend are shipwrecked on an island inhabited by cards who work like robots and follow rules. The prince reminds them they have the power of free will, imagination and love and they can break dead rules.

A revolution, led by female cards, happens in the land and the king goes into self-exile.

Last week Sangeeta Datta (director Baithak UK)  faculty and students from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama worked with Sasha Ghoshal,  RCSSD music composer Paul Alan Barker, dramaturge Adam Lenson and two West End actors Molly Lynch and Colin Middleton, to create a short sequence OF TAGORE’S TASHER DESH (LAND OF CARDS) in musical theatre style.

 Trained in musical theatre at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama Sasha led the workshop with his dramatic skill, wonderful vocals and sheer gusto. For the Western trained actors, it was opening up a completely new world to explore. The technical challenge to the music also posed challenges to the acting. But in a few hours they were able to present two sections in an entertaining and provocative manner.

 Last year, Baithak UK conducted a workshop with Sasha for the Senior WacArts students at Hampstead Town Hall.

In October 2018, Baithak UK presented a workshopped edit at the annual cultural festival held by the local community group Hamsptead Durga Puja Committee.  The act featured Sasha Ghoshal, British composer Soumik Datta and filmmaker Souvid Datta in the role of the adventurous prince.

 Director of Baithak UK, Sangeeta Datta says,

“Today’s world is not too far from the context of Tagore’s dystopia.

With Brexit here and right wing politics dominating the Indian elections, we are actually dealing with these live issues of immigration, belonging, censorship and freedom of speech.

At Baithak UK we are revisiting this text in a series of workshops with Sasha Ghoshal who has translated the text in English.

By conducting workshops involving Baithak UK, WAC Arts, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (RCSSD) and my Baithak artists, Sasha Ghoshal will develop this into a full production. The community will be involved in the production as well as learning set design and costume design. This dynamic and diverse collaboration is so exciting and Sasha is uniquely placed for this work.

He holds an unique place today to create exchange and collaboration between the traditions of Western musical theatre and Indian performative traditions. He has translated Land of Cards in English and will work with Baithak UK, Central faculty, West End actors and WAC Arts senior students in a truly collaborative production of the play in Western Musical tradition. “

Baithak UK plan to present a one hour complete edition of the production, during the 4 day annual festival held at the Hampstead Town Hall between 4-8 October 2019.”

Sasha Ghoshal commented:

 “With such a relevant play, you want to make sure that Tagore’s creativity is done full justice.  He wrote it as a musical play but it is always presented as a dance drama. Indians love theatre, music and dance, ‘musical theatre’ has yet to take off in Indian art.

One of the reasons I left India and came to study at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, is because I am so in love with the musical theatre format: actors themselves speak, sing and dance, allowing multiple modes of expression. In musical theatre, everything seems so alive!”

Workshop participants share their unique experience!

Prof. Paul Alan Barker (music composer and Director of MA music theatre, RCSSD): It is an extraordinary privilege to take part in something where I have, from an intellectual viewpoint, very little understanding of the music. All I can go on is how I feel when Sasha sings the songs. I can’t describe how grateful I am for this  “wild” opportunity.

Adam Lenson (dramaturge and musical theatre director): I just had such a fun evening getting to see parts of the show. The music is so beautiful and evocative. The story is both unexpected but very relevant. It kind of feels like it’s metaphorical, that it’s about something we all know…and it’s just lovely to be part of something like this.

Molly Lynch (musical theatre actress):I had the most amazing time. As a vocalist, it’s mind blowing to hear this style of singing and this dramatic difference between what I’m used to singing in Opera and musical theatre and the Bengali style. It’s a whole new aspect for the medium of musical theatre. So it’s very exciting!

Colin Middleton (musical theatre actor): It’s completely unusual to be singing this kind of music for someone like me. When Sasha was teaching me the songs, I was thinking “how am I going to do this?” But the story is beautiful, the music is beautiful…and I think there are touches of Irish folk in there as well! So, it was amazing!

BAITHAKUK tries to make new meaning of a rich Indian cultural legacy to see how this resonates with real life issues here in the UK.

Issues of migration, identity, free will and free speech are being urgently addressed as they affect everyday, lived reality.  Rising intolerance internationally, divisive Brexit politics in Britain and aggressive right wing politics in India threatens the common man’s free speech and free will.

Decades ago, Tagore wrote an allegorical play Tasher Desh (Land of Cards) in 1935 critiquing a dystopian world of rising fascism in Europe. The backdrop was the imminent World War and the nationalist movement in colonial India.

Tagore wrote about a well oiled system crushing free will. The prince, an outsider, reminds the robotlike cards they once had the ability to emote, to speak freely, to love passionately, to sing aloud. The female cards break rules and bring on the revolution.

For more information visit: www.baithak.info

Nutcracker

Thursday 13 December – Sunday 30 December 2018

Swan Lake

Thursday 03 January – Sunday 13 January 2019

Manon

Wednesday 16 January – Sunday 20 January 2019

Box Office: 020 7845 9300 or www.ballet.org.uk

Continuing its Christmas tradition of presenting a Nutcracker production every year since 1950, English National Ballet’s Nutcracker returns this festive season, following sold out performances in 2016 and 2017. Over 100 dancers and musicians bring to life the popular Tchaikovsky score featuring the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Waltz of the Flowers, performed live by English National Ballet Philharmonic.

English National Ballet’s hugely successful production of the timeless classic, Swan Lake, choreographed by Derek Deane with music performed live by the English National Ballet Philharmonic, will bring some of the most iconic scenes in ballet, and Tchaikovsky’s glorious score, to London audiences once again.

The final production of English National Ballet’s Winter Season is Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon. Famous for its dramatic, challenging and expressive choreography, Manon features some of the most demanding and fulfilling roles in ballet. Manon is accompanied by Jules Massenet’s haunting music performed live by English National Ballet Philharmonic.

Following performances, Swan Lake and Manon on tour in the UK,

Alongside performances, English National Ballet will host a range of workshops and events throughout the Winter, aimed to provide a gateway into the world of ballet. Activities include on-stage workshops for all ages, Live Drawing, Family Events, and behind-the-scenes talks. For more details, see www.ballet.org.uk/whats-on/

Photo credit: clockwise

Katja-Khaniukova-and-Jeffrey-Cirio-in-Manon-c-Laurent-Liotardo

Alina-Cojocaru-and-James-Streeter-in-English-National-Ballets-Swan-Lake-C-Photography-by-ASH

Nutcracker-campaign-image-high-res-Shiori-Kase-c-Jason-Bell-Art-Direction-and-Design-Charlotte-Wilkinson-Studio (1)

In its second year at Sadler’s Wells, Darbar Festival welcomes some of the most exciting names in classical Indian dance, curated by Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Akram Khan.

In the first performance of the festival, Renjith Babu and Neha Mondal Chakravarty present An Evening of Bharatanatyam. This exciting duo pushes the borders of bharatanatyam and elevates the art of the jugalbandi (duet) in an unusual new work by the bharatanatyam and contemporary artist Mavin Khoo.

The second evening of the programme, Adventures in Odissi and Kathak, combines two classical Indian dance forms in solo performances by Sujata Mohapatra and Gauri Diwakar.

Winner of the 2017 Sangeet Natak Akademi award for outstanding contribution to odissi and “Indian-dance royalty” (Financial Times), Sujata Mohapatra performs a beautifully crafted work that treads the line between odissi dance and theatre. Multi award-winning kathak dancer Gauri Diwakar performs Hari Ho…Gati Meri (“Let my salvation be in the supreme”), a sublime solo specially choreographed by Aditi Mangaldas.

Now in its 13th year, Darbar Festival 2018 started its journey in a series of Indian classical music showcases and courses at Southbank Centre and the Barbican. The dance programme of the festival returns to Sadler’s Wells from Friday 23 – Sunday 25 November 2018, featuring original lighting design by Aideen Malone.

Choreographer of An Evening of Bharatanatyam, Mavin Khoo, can also be seen in world premiere Man to Monk, choreographed by Carlos Pons Guerra, on 29 and 30 November 2018 at the Lilian Baylis Studio.

In Conversation with Akram Khan: Contemporary to Classical: Friday 23 November at 6pm
Abhinaya Improvisation with Mavin Khoo: Sunday 25 November at 5pm

Sadler’s Wells, EC1R  Friday 23 – Sunday 25 November 2018 Tickets: £12 – £50 Performances: Saturday & Sunday, 7:30pm Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com

Choreographer Ben Wright’s intimate tale of lighthouse keepers designed especially for village halls tours town and country this Autumn

Choreographed and directed by Ben Wright | Music and text by Stuart Warwick

National Tour 11 Sept – 28 Sept | London premiere: The Place 20 – 22 Sept

Created as a collaboration between choreographer Ben Wright and musician/writer Stuart Warwick, Point of Echoes is a haunting tale of love, death and monsters, set on a lighthouse somewhere off the coast of England. It’s the first commission from the Rural Touring Dance Initiative (RTDI), a project designed to boost the amount of contemporary dance on offer in rural communities; specially designed to be performed in village halls, it toured extensively to rural areas all over the UK throughout Spring 2018. Autumn will see the dance theatre show tour again to village halls and more conventional theatre venues including its London premiere at The Place from 20 – 22 September.

 The year is 1978, isolated from the mainland, Eric Valentine and Bernard Humphries have been stationed at Echo Point lighthouse. The unlikely strangers have just begun to lay down foundations for this odd working relationship when the uncanny occurs. Point of Echoes marks the return of bgroup’s Ben Wright to the UK following three years spent in Sweden as Associate Director of Skånes Dansteater.

 The Place, London 17 Duke’s Road, London WC1H 9PY

@broupdance | #PointofEchoes | www.benwright.info| 

Running Time: 90 minutes plus interval | Suitable for ages 14+

Listings:

25 Sept   One Church Brighton Gloucester Place, Brighton, BN1 4AA 7.00pm  www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3422905

27 Sept   Edge Hill Arts Centre, Lancashire Edge Hill University, St Helens Road, Ormskirk L39 4QP 7.30pm www.edgehill.ac.uk/artscentre | 01695 584480

28 Sept  Lazonby Village Hall, Penrith Lazonby, Penrith CA10 1AQ –  7.30pm http://blaize.uk.net/category/artery-live/

Commissioned by the Rural Touring Dance Initiative, Warwick Arts Centre and DanceEast

London’s Eventim Apollo will play host to one of the greatest Sufi singers of all time, the undisputed Queen of Sufi music, Abida Parveen, on Friday 26^thOctober 2018. 

Parveen is one of the foremost exponents of Sufi music from Pakistan. She received her musical training initially from her father Ustad Ghulam Haider and, later, from Ustad Salamat Ali Khan of the Sham Chaurasia Gharana. Her late husband, Ghulam Hussain Sheikh, further mentored her and played a pivotal role in her musical career. Today, she is recognised as one of the greatest Sufi singers of all times.

Parveen performs mainly Ghazals, Urdu love songs, Sufi rock, semi-classical and classical and her forte, Kafis, a solo genre accompanied by percussion and other instruments including the harmonium. She has a wide-ranging repertoire of songs originally composed by Sufi poets, singing in Urdu, Sindhi, Seraiki, Punjabi, Farsi and Arabic.

Parveen started performing in the early 1970s and came to global prominence in the 1990s. Since 1993, she has toured globally, performing her first international concert at Buena Vista Park, California. Among her many, sell-out concerts since have been performances in Union Square, Manhattan; London’s Royal Albert Hall and Southbank Centre; as well as performances in Holland, Norway and Canada among other countries. The multi award-winning artist also collaborated with international composer, John Taverner, for Werner Herzog’s documentary film, Pilgrimage.

Among her many music TV appearances, Parveen features in Pakistan’s popular musical show Coke Studio, the international music franchise featuring live, studio-recorded music performances by established and emerging artists. As a global, mystic Sufi Ambassador, she is among the top most influential Muslims of the world.

Parveen’s passion for music exceeds all norms of mystical experience. She engages the listeners to transcend temporal space and sinks into a trance-like intensity. Her music is an overwhelming experience, combining passion and devotion. Just like a Sufi, submission and surrender are an important part of her practice. For Abida Parveen, the lyrics and the music are her prayer and a form of worship. Her emotional commitment and humility come from understanding the message that her music conveys, which is that of love and compassion. UK audiences will, once again, have a chance to witness the magic that she invokes onstage, enraptured in what is set to be one of the most emotive world music concerts of 2018.

For tickets, visit: www.eventim.co.uk

Ben Luxford, Head of UK Audiences at the BFI says, “We are pleased to support the 20th anniversary of the festival, enabling it to expand to reach more people across the UK and to engage audiences with a broad range of South Asian cinema.”

Illuminating unsung female hero of UK Suffragette Movement, Sophia Duleep Singh

Opening gala dinner on 14^th March at The May Fair Hotel to welcome pioneering Indian cinema veteran and talk show hostess, Simi Garewal and Pakistan’s biggest superstar, actress Mahira Khan. The evening will feature an awards presentation honouring heroines that have challenged stereotypes, pushed boundaries and broken barriers to make a difference. It will also feature an In Conversation with actress Mahira Khan. tickets for the Opening Gala are available on: www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/227891

Mahira Khan will be conducting a Q&A with audiences at Phoenix Cinema, Leicester on 15^th March and at Regent Street Cinema, London on 16^th March, following the screening of Verna, a film based on social issues.

Filmhouse, Edinburgh (22^nd – 25^th March); HOME, Manchester (25^th March); Phoenix Cinema, Leicester (15^th March extended to 31^st March); and various venues across London (14^th – 25^th March) will play host to a carefully curated season of film screenings and events that celebrate female stories, talent and creatives on celluloid. The festival will also be honouring Anita Anand, broadcaster, journalist and author of Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary, for shining light on the story of Sophia Duleep Singh, a prominent figure and activist of the UK Suffragatte movement although largely absent from popular narrative.

Full Festival Programme and Bookings via: www.ukasianfilmfestival.com

Sadler’s Wells welcomes international tango star Germán Cornejo back to London with his company for the world premiere of his latest production Tango After Dark at The Peacock, which features some of the best dancers from the tango houses of Buenos Aires.

As the night falls, the music of the great Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player and arranger, Astor Piazzolla, merges with the sophisticated and sensual performance of world-class Argentinean dancers to reveal tango in its most authentic and pure form. Tango superstar Cornejo, who is widely acclaimed by critics and audiences all over the world as one of the most distinguished tango artists working today, leads his outstanding cast of 10 dancers, including his long term dance partner and collaborator Gisela Galeassi in this mesmerising new show. Accompanied by two sensational singers and seven musicians playing tango classics, Tango After Dark keeps the passion of tango burning deep into the night.

Choreographed by Cornejo, Tango After Dark, follows his previous success, Tango Fire, which won Best Theatre Production in the 2015 UK Latin Awards and has been presented to sell-out audiences at The Peacock since 2007. Cornejo and his dance partner, Galeassi, are both World Tango Champions and are widely known for their performances with Jennifer Lopez and Marc Antony.

Ticket Office: 020 7863 8222 or www.peacocktheatre.com

Four young players set to train with Queens Park Rangers and Sadiq Khan confirms that for the first time two girls, as well as two boys, will head to the Championship side

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced the names of the successful youngsters on the first day of his trade mission to India. Khan was attending the ninth annual finals day of the Mumbai Soccer Challenge and watched a challenge match to win the inaugural Mayor of London Cup. He confirmed that, for the first time in the scheme’s nine-year history, two girls as well as two boys will be heading to London. The Mayor was joined at the finals day by Bollywood screen legend and the co-owner of Mumbai City football club, Ranbir Kapoor, as well as the Chairman of Queens Park Rangers, Tony Fernandes. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “This initiative is another example of the close links between India and London. It has been fantastic to see the passion and skill of these young footballers, and to be able to announce that two girls as well as two boys will be travelling to London to train with Queens Park Rangers. I wish them every success and it is heartening to see how grassroots sport can inspire, thrill and change the lives of young people all over the world. “The power of sport in bringing people together and encouraging healthy competition is a wonderful thing. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, once you’re on the pitch, on the court, in the ring or on the track how well you do is down to the drive and talent of the individual and their team – and those valuable lessons are transferable to so many other situations in life.” The event is the initiative of local politician and former Minister, Milind Deora, and the children selected to train in London were chosen from the thousands of competitors who took part in the soccer challenge based on their footballing ability. Next year they will spend 10 days training with QPR at their academy in Cranford.

Co-owner of Mumbai City football club, Ranbir Kapoor, said: “This event has given a platform to kids who love football. The professionalism and commitment by the organisers and the vision of Milind Deora is commendable. As owner of ISL Mumbai FC we will explore avenues to partner with QPR Mumbai Soccer Challenge. It’s great to have Mayor Sadiq Khan with us today.”

Milind Deora, patron of the Challenge Event and a former Indian Minister of State, said, “I am grateful to London Mayor Sadiq Khan our chief guest for today. Sadiq’s presence is huge encouragement to us and the kids. In the last 9 years we have strived to create a level playing field for those kids who have keen interest in football. Year after year we have realised the wonderful talent Mumbai kids have in playing football. I deeply appreciate Queen Park Rangers for their continued support and our innumerable sponsors who have been great encouragement.”

Co-Chairman of QPR, Tony Fernandes, said: “QPR is a football club with the community at its heart. While most of our charitable efforts are focussed on our home in West London, we are delighted that the Mayor of London has come to visit one of our fantastic international projects. I’m particularly delighted that next year we will host some Indian girls as well as boys at Loftus Road. Girls’ and women’s football is a big growth area for us, and we look forward to working with the Mayor and the GLA to promote it even further in London in the years ahead.”