Songs of the Bulbul is an impressive if superficial take on a Sufi myth

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The last time the Leicester-based dancer Aakash Odedra performed at the Edinburgh International Festival he was in tandem with the Chinese dancer Hu Shenyuan. Inspired by a classic Chinese novel and Buddhist philosophy, their production Samsara was sublime. Now, two years on, Odedra is back at the festival in the world premiere of a solo derived from an ancient Sufi myth.
The bulbul of the title refers to a nightingale which, according to the myth, is captured, caged and blinded because of the heart-rendingly beautiful song it sings — just before it expires. Odedra embodies this bird from birth to death, and then in the ensuing state of spiritual transcendence.
The relative simplicity of this metaphorical tale — which Odedra has said parallels his ideas about being on stage — means that every detail and moment of the production must ring with nuanced clarity. The choreographer Rani Khanam, an experienced performer of the Indian classical dance form kathak, has done a creditable job of fashioning a fluid showcase for Odedra’s skills.
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Clad in a billowing white robe above red trousers, he is a slightly built figure of quick, light, fluttery-handed delicacy. His spins are fast and his spiralling jumps airy and joyous. Rushil Ranjan’s score, recorded by the Manchester Camerata, is a sometimes overpoweringly cinematic merger of orchestral sweep and plaintively melismatic vocals. But, fittingly, it seems to lift Odedra up. Radiantly lit by Fabiana Piccioli on a semi-abstract set (by Emanuele Salamanca) featuring a few long, entrapping branches, a crescent of candle-like stumps and a plethora of raining red petals, his whirling and effectively poignant portrayal of the bulbul grows in feeling.
So why did it leave me relatively untouched? Was it an inability to see beyond the work’s surface attractions? Whatever the reasons, I respect what Odedra and his creative team have accomplished even without deeply connecting to it. ★★★☆☆55min
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