The Troth | Saluting India’s wartime sacrifice through dance
Fergus Morgan from The Stage, who accompanied the cast and crew of The Troth – Usne Kaha Tha for the first part of the India tour, reflects on the process behind the performance at ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival. Featuring an interview with Alan Gemmell Director British Council India.
“It’s a remarkable work that’s already been on a remarkable journey … The Troth is a striking work: a vibrant blend of contemporary movement and traditional South Asian dance … The Troth is an exercise in soft diplomacy, but it’s also an act of remembrance, an emotionally charged piece of movement, and, as it unfolds with poignant clarity under darkening Rajasthani skies, so much more”
Fergus Morgan from The Stage
Read How Akademi’s touring show The Troth is saluting India’s wartime sacrifice through dance by Fergus Morgan in The Stage
The Troth – Usne Kaha Tha
Akademi’s The Troth – Usne Kaha Tha is a gripping wartime story of love and loss, told through powerful dance theatre. Inspired by a 1915 short story Usne Kaha Tha by Chandradhar Sharma Guleri, it tells the story of Sardar Lehna Singh’s sacrifice of keeping his secret promise to an unrequited love while mid-conflict in the horror of the trenches of Belgium. Directed by Gary Clarke, the show features a specially-commissioned music score by Shri Sriram, and a cast including Vidya Patel (BBC Young Dancer 2015 finalist).
2018 UK and International tour dates
The Troth is funded by Arts Council England; Ministry of Culture, Government of India; Armed Forces Covenant Fund; Cockayne Grants for the Arts through the London Community Foundation; PRS for Music Foundation; ICCR; and Air India. Partners include UK-India Year of Culture; British Council; The Space; Imperial War Museum; National Army Museum; The Nehru Centre, London; Watermans Arts Centre; and Teamwork Arts.