The Princess and the Chickpea is an exciting collaboration between Nutkhut and Cirque Bijou.
We aim to co-create a medium scale outdoor family performance, using circus and Dance performers to tell the classic fairy tale Princess and the (Chick) Pea through the medium of storytelling/Indian dance and Circus.
Set in the 16th century Moghul empire with a contemporary aesthetic and design, we follow Akbar’s son prince Salim on a quest to find a princess from a compatible class/caste. Following the routes through which South Asian dance (and chickpea recipes!) have reached out into the world we demonstrate how different dance styles influence each other as a metaphor for how societies have shared values across cultural boundaries- values that are transcended by class and culture.
The performance will be for family audiences suitable for children of all ages, self-contained, with the circus performed on a freestanding structure incorporated into an opulent and colourful contemporary Indian design. We will tour Outdoor arts festivals, Melas and CPP partnerships in UK in 2023.
We aim to bring audiences together to celebrate united ideals/ethics that override the differences between us, to build bridges in todays fractured society.
“We are all connected, we all share the same hopes, fears and dreams”.
Simmy Gupta
