Author: Akshay Sharma

What happens in the moments after the apocalypse? To be confronted with hopelessness, to be met with strong forces, to be in relation to the natural order of the world. Let us bring a community of people together in which we can celebrate them and their world…

“The village looks at the sky in sorrow littered with endless blood. Two women tread the ash and dust to find solace in each other. A woman looks at the ground that has been burnt looking for last seeds to make this world grow again. The wheat pickles, the golden dust settles, she opens her palms and they all look at it. The fire burns the sky and clouds burst and we gather in the deep hearts of our inner world. The potential of being together as the skin meets, fire burns, the anger simmers, renouncing the apathy, the history and legacy and the walk continues.” – Akshay Sharma

The work uses movement, Indian classical song and sound to create a choreographic landscape of rituals, celebration, intimacy and resistance that brings to life the text “What Did The Fire Burn?” – a piece of prose written by Akshay Sharma.

Collaborators R&D

Direction, Choreography and Writing : Akshay Sharma

Dancers: Divija Melally, Jaina Modasia, Vidya Patel, Imogen Alvares, Mithun Gill

Vocals : Akshay Sharma and the dancers

Dramaturge: Eva Martinez

Producer: Louisa Borg Costanzi Potts

Composer : Ben Chatwin

Lighting design : Ali Hunter

Rehearsal direction: Rachel Lopez De la Nieta, Stephanie McMann

Vocal Coach : Barnaby Wynter

Production Manager: Sam Evans

The work will be created in 2025 with presentation in early September in Bradford at the newly refurbished and renamed Kalasangam as Bradford Arts Center for Bradford 2025 and The Place, London.

Commissioned by Kalasangam, Bradford and supported by Choreodrome residency 2024, The Place and made possible by Arts Council England.

Looking for commissioning support for the creation phase of this work from January 2025 and presentation opportunities from Autumn 2025.

Pic : Camilla Greenwell

“Choreographer and Performer Akshay Sharma carries us gently in the palms of his expressive hands through a series of evocative scenes, inspired by both personal experience and myth, to explore notions of fear, belonging, and freedom.” – review by Pagan Hunt

Can This Place be a Temple? is a poetic and compelling solo work exploring the question of refuge and safety, touching on themes of race, gender, migration and nature by weaving together dance, spoken word and live singing. Drawing upon personal experience and myth, the piece is an invitation to journey through fear into trust and freedom.

” I find you the most compelling performer to watch. You have a unique beauty in the way you move and hold the space. I enjoyed the human touches and stories in your work – it gave it a sense of it’s place in the world which I appreciated greatly.”

– Hannah Robertshaw , Artistic Director, Yorkshire Dance

” Absolutely stunning movement sequences! So unique, individualized and authentic. The performance was very raw – polished but something unfinished as well, allowing a unique vulnerability to emerge. Akshay is a breathtaking performer. I was very moved.”

– Audience member , The Place

“I have never sat in a performance when I honestly thought the audience just wasn’t there, you know when you watch something and you are so connected and you have built this narrative and you can feel all the passion and all the pain… It was beautiful.

– Audience member, The Place

• Choreographer, Performer & Writer: Akshay Sharma 
• Sound Design: Nicole Robson 
• Lighting Design: Ryan Joseph Stafford 
• Rehearsal Director: Shivaangee Agrawal
• Dramaturg: Eva Martinez
• Producer: Louisa Borg-Costanzi Potts 
• Production Manager: Sam Evans 
• Marketing: Jamie McHale 
• Project Assistant: Aishani Ghosh

Tour dates

• London – 3rd October,2023 at The Place
• Bradford – 26th October, 2023
• Newcastle – 15th February, 2023

We are looking for commissioning, touring and presenting partners for the solo work for 2024 and 2024. Please get in touch

“Can this Place Be A Temple?” performance review by Pagan Hunt for Dance Art Journal – Dancecity, Newcastle 15th February, 2024.

Commissioned by Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Leeds on their third year students, this was a week long exercise to create a short piece for Leeds Light Night to be performed at Yorkshire Dance.

Awarded as part of Kalasangam’s Artist Takeover Residency in Bradford in 2017, I decided to explore some questions related to labour, dance and manual work. Manual- ness of work rather than manual work. This was a fruitful time of dancing just outside educational structures and has made me look at the practice of labour in my dance.

https://youtu.be/KxjHD55iNTU

First proposed as a solidarity to the wave of protests seen across India in the winter of 2019. A cry to create space for desire, power and freedom. To the moving and the movement.

It was a mess of religion and politics and cows and country and citizenship, and corruption and pollution, deaths and division, and countries and infrastructure and no studio space, no performance space no rehearsal space and finding and searching and looking and supporting and getting hit and getting hurt and police and violence and education and students and learning and sitting and shouting and marching and going towards and running away and despair and noise and fear and hope.

Audience reaction:

 “I saw your performance … and I was left awestruck. Your movements are like water”

“Surreal”

Supported by Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi. Thanking Puneet Jewandah, Mallika Chabba Harleen Duggal and Louisa Borgcostanzi-Potts for their friendship and continued support.

A Fragile Geography is a delicate trio of connection, intimacy and offerings in a world growing old everyday. This dance came about in a three week residency at Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Leeds as part of Northern Connections.

Performers : Kathryn Hewison, Akshay Sharma and Isobel Ripley

Duration : 20 mins

Performed at The Riley Theater, Leeds

Supported by Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Leeds, Yorkshire Dance, Leeds, Spin Arts and Arts Council England.