Defying Britain's Tick-Box Culture: Kathak in Dialogue with Hip-Hop

Abstract

With questions of identity and multiculturalism remaining at the centre of debates in the press, political and academia arenas, a dance production tackles these issues head on in a surprisingly humorous and accessible way. Birmingham-based Sonia Sabri Company's Kathakbox is a collaborative production exploring the theme of ‘ticking boxes’ which sets out to challenge preconceptions about identity. Four specialists in kathak, hip-hop, African Caribbean and contemporary dance are joined by three musician-vocalists who eschew instruments, utilising their voices and bodies to create a vibrant rhythmic score influenced by a cosmopolitan mix of styles. Aesthetic and ideological meeting points occur onstage in the critically praised hour-long show, while counter-hegemonic possibilities emerge in associated workshops. The article explores how the narrative potential of kathak opens the way for Muslim women participants to delve into movement possibilities and improvisational potential of both the South Asian dance form and hip-hop.