See the Music, Hear the Dance

Alarmél Valli is a leading Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer, internationally acclaimed for her 'ability to turn a traditional grammar into a subtle, deeply internalised, personal dance poetry'.

Amongst numerous awards received by her are the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan from the President of India and the Chevalier de L'Order des Arts et des Letters from the French Government. She has performed at international venues like the Bolshoi Theatre, the Avignon Festival, the Edinburgh Festival, the Venice Biennale, the Salzburg Festival and the Kennedy Centre, to name a few. Films featuring her include Arun Khopkar's Pravahi, a documentary by the BBC and the Indian National award-winning Lasya Kavya by Sankalp Meshram.

Valli has often talked of "singing with her body, speaking with her art" and how, when she dances, she feels she is also a poet, singer and seeker. In See the Music, Hear the Dance, she shares her thoughts on how word, meaning, music and dance are inseparably linked. She offers glimpses into her awareness of this seamless connection, which has shaped and honed her approach to dance - as visual poetry and visual music, where the viewer should ideally be able to, in her words, "see the music and hear the dance".

Talk organised by the Friends of Pitt Rivers Museum - everyone welcome. Doors open at 18.00 and refreshments will be served. Talk starts at 18.30.