Bharatanatyam dancer and lead artist Kirsten Newell announces the anticipated return and Scottish tour of John Philip Newell’s captivating storytelling, dance, and music show Hebridean Treasure: Lost & Found.
Touring from 2 – 22 September across Aberdeenshire; Banchory; Skye; Mull; Iona; Harris; Stornoway and Findhorn, Hebridean Treasure blends Scottish and South Asian music and theatre with skilled Bharatanatyam dance from internationally acclaimed dancer Kirsten Newell to tell a universal and poignant story of suffering, exile, and the loss of age-old wisdom, set against the historic spiritual background of nineteenth century Scottish Isles and Gaelic pasts told through prayer and poem.
Originally inspired by The Wooster Group’s acclaimed 2014 piece Early Shaker Spirituals and Alexander Carmichael’s (1832-1912) work ‘Carmina Gadelica’, Celtic scholar and author John Philip Newell’s writing meshes with critically-acclaimed composer and Gaelic singer Mischa Macpherson’s (Winner of BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award, MG Alba Scots Trad Music Award) music and Bharatanatyam dancer Kirsten Newell’s (Kalakshetra Foundation, ATMA Dance Company, Cosmic Dance) soulful, sweeping dance performance to bring audiences a message of hope: a new way of life that cherishes and recaptures our Celtic and Gaelic cultural heritage.
Weaving in and out of a complex tapestry of ancestral grief, Hebridean Treasure: Lost & Found draws comparisons between the ancient Vedic and Celtic cultures through songs in Gaelic, Tamil and Hindi, and the combination of Celtic and Carnatic music, to reflect on the relationships with and similarities between social and folk customs, mythology and traditional musical form.
Past praise for Hebridean Treasure: Lost & Found
‘a captivating and compelling history lesson.’ – The Stage ★★★★
‘Finding the lost soul of Scotland and humanity’ -The List
‘Hebridean Treasure is a moving meditation on Celtic spirituality – both dance and poem; lament and love song; prayer and blessing’ -Magdalen Gorringe, Pulse Connects
Cast & Creative Team
Dancer/Lead Artist – Kirsten Newell
Storytellers – Billy Mack, Alison Newell, Iain Louden
Writer – John Philip Newell
Musical Director – Mischa Macpherson
Artistic Director and Choreography- Shane Shambhu
Dancer’s Costume – Alison Brown
Produced by – Vision Mechanics
Musicians
Mischa Macpherson (vocals)
Ankna Arokiam (Indian vocals)
Hardeep Deerhe (tabla)
Alastair Paterson (harmonium)
Charlie Stewart (fiddle)
Cameron Newell (fiddle)
Saturday 21 September – Findhorn
4pm @ Universal Hall