The Colour of Britain - ACE273.3

Performance continues, a version of Bertolt Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle. Shelley King, one of the Company’s actors, points out that what they do is British theatre. The Company performing. Verma VO says that Tara has many affinities with the work of Europeans like Peter Brook who consciously employ Indian, Chinese, Japanese, African theatre form and idioms in the reworking of existing texts, but Brook’s work is considered "world theatre" while Verma’s is thought of as "ethnic theatre". Gilane Tawadros, Director, Institute of New International Visual Arts. "Mainstream critics have not wanted to engage with work of artists who they define as marginal… as if you have to be from the same culture in order to have anything to say…" Jeyasingh talks of the first headline she remembers about her work, "Madras dancer curries favour", and notes than things have changed since then. Dancers from the Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company. Jeyasingh explaining that it’s taken a very long time for her company to be accepted as British both by British agencies (e.g., the British Council) and by European and other countries. Dancers. Jeyasingh on how she took a while to recognise that she didn’t want to be classified by someone else as "ethnic" or "folk" but wanted to be recognised for what she was … Superimposed images of dancer and London street scenes, Jeyasingh VO, … part Indian, part north London, with a language that comes from herself… Dancers; VO … reflecting a unique combination of languages and cultures. Jeyasingh talking about her work and how others perceive it. Jeyasingh VO on how her work is constructed on geometric lines and with the dancers bodies relating to space; dancers performing Romance with Footnotes.