East meets west

Story: Liz Searle

On the hottest day of the year so far, music is booming from the PA in the Vestry Hall and dancers are hard at work at one of their twiceweekly rehearsals for ‘East Meets West’, a show designed to showcase music and dance from different cultures.

I met Isha Nandra, the show’s creator and asked her how the idea came about. She replies that she has always been involved in musical performances as her father Kamalbir Singh is a classical musician although this, her first production, will not be a ‘pure’ classical show, but one that combines a variety of styles.

The show, Isha explains, is a mix of Bollywood and Bhangra and Western culture. “We have traditional Asian music and dance, with Western touches such as hip hop and street dance; this fusion of styles reflects the international and multicultural society of Sheffield.”

Isha advertised the idea on internet sites like Facebook for a cast of dancers; of the thirty who initially responded, fifteen are now dancers and the others are creating publicity, making costumes and mixing the music. She comments, “All of us are contributing; all of us are doing everything in one; we’re all helping each other.”

At the rehearsal, Isha seems to be everywhere at once – dancing onstage, filming the scene and rushing to show it to the dancers to discuss it. As well as performing locally, they are creating a ‘behind the scenes’ video of their production. All the cast are university students who currently have exams to contend with as well as the pressures of staging a two night show. Isha is sitting her four A-level exams at the moment!

When I ask what future plans Isha has, she says she may continue staging shows and is considering Events Management at university. It is clear she already has the talent.

‘East Meets West’ will be coming to Burngreave Vestry Hall on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st June. Tickets are free but numbers are limited. Contact the Vestry Hall on 213 3801 to book your place.