Reviewed: Dec 21

Directed by Devissaro of the Daksha Sheth Dance Company, BhuKham - Circus of Earth & Sky is a contemporary dance/circus performance that mixes kathak (a classical dance form from north India) with yoga, martial arts, gymnastics and aerial dance. Made up of a dozen short dances, acrobatic acts and songs, it's a celebration of the human spirit and man's desire to explore the unknown.

The hour-long show begins with a goofy narrator, played by Ravi Khote, offering some philosophical meanderings into the beginning of time and life. His musing sets the metaphysical tone of Sheth's choreography, performed by Ramesh Ram, Isha Sharvani, Rajesh Raveendran, Ratheesh Rajendran, Babu Sukumaran and Sheth herself. Traditional and modern dance forms are used

to convey concepts such as creation, space, gravity, velocity and even extraterrestrials.

The show's highlights include Sheth dancing a kathak solo to a jazz beat (by drummer Tao Issaro) and a duet between Sharvani and Raveendran (above) that turned various yoga moves and positions into a mesmerising and well-choreographed routine.

However, not all of the pieces work. The musical tribute to American aviator Charles Lindbergh and Space Case, both performed by Khote, seemed out of place.

BhuKham is more basic and down to earth than nouvelle circuses such as Cirque du Soleil, which feature spectacular sets and costumes, but it's this rawness and unusual treatment of traditional Indian dance that gives the show its unique flavour.