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Holy Dirt
Vidya Patel
4th July, 5th July
Jubilee Square
Drawing influence from Indian dance, music, voice and play Holy Dirt is a forty-five-minute whirlwind incorporating Bharatanatyam and Kathakali, with modern physical theatre forms, such as bouffon, clowning and melodrama.
This episodic performance playfully explores the mythic feminine as she struggles ridiculously through our climate catastrophe - she stumbles, she dances, she transforms. Clay, stones, water, and sand erupt across the space in a visually startling drama set to a rich global soundscape, where the rawness of earth converges with myth and ritual.
This extraordinary work, both playful and profound, unfolds as an outdoor immersive installation, creating a powerful sensory experience for all ages.
Created and performed by Vidya Thirunarayan, directed and designed by David Glass, guest performer Dale Wylde.
Important information
Location:
Dates:
Timings:
Jubilee Square
4th July, 5th July
Timings to be announced soon.
Tickets:
FREE to attend
About Vidya Patel
Internationally renowned as a Bharatanatyam dancer, Vidya Thirunarayan is also a prominent ceramicist, and in 2015 she began producing and promoting work that blends her dual expertise as a dancer and potter.
Her first work, Lives of Clay (2021/22), was directed by Tim Supple funded by Without Walls and Arts Council England, commissioned by Brighton Festival, Certain Blacks, with support from 101 Outdoor Arts and ArtAsia. It toured 17 UK venues and was later reimagined in India in collaboration with QTP to tour flagship festivals including the Tata Literature festival, Mumbai and Serendipity Festival, Goa. Holy Dirt, funded by Arts Council England and InKo Centre, India and commissioned by Certain Blacks and Art Asia, premiered at Ensemble Festival in July 2025. It will embark on an international tour across the UK, India and Korea in 2026–27 supported by Arts Council England, Without Walls, commissioned by Brighton Festival and Inspirate, in partnership with InKo Centre.
