The choreographer Amina Khayyam was not supposed to be dancing at the fringe, but she stepped in at the last minute to replace another dancer in her company, and some of the most powerful moments of Bird belong to her. But the performance itself seems to have been tipped off centre by this late substitution. It is full of potential but still undercooked.
Khayyam is a Slough-based choreographer deeply engaged with social issues, often building works from real-life stories that come up during community workshops. She uses Kathak, a form of classical Indian dance, to tackle hard-hitting subjects such as childlessness, acid attacks against women, the plight of refugees, and struggles with sexuality. In lockdown, she made a film Catch the Bird Who Won’t Fly, about women living with domestic abuse, and this show continues that theme.
