Gaurav Bhatti premieres Kathak dance work Bulleh Shah: Seeker of Light, March 28 and 29
Inspired by the titular Sufi mystic, renowned artist’s new solo is co-presented by The Dance Centre and New Works

Gaurav Bhatti, Bulleh Shah: Seeker of Light. Photo by Innee Singh
The exciting young Kathak dance artist and choreographer Gaurav Bhatti is set to premiere his latest work Bulleh Shah: Seeker of Light, a solo inspired by the life and poetry of the 18th-century Sufi mystic Bulleh Shah, at the Scotiabank Dance Centre.
Blending the rich traditions of Kathak with contemporary and folk-dance influences, Bulleh Shah: Seeker of Light explores the themes of spiritual longing, self-discovery, and universal love found in Shah’s poetry. Bhatti creates a mesmerizing world through dance, sets, lighting, and costumes, with a soundscape by composer Ish Shehrawat that fuses classical North Indian music and contemporary electronic compositions.
Bulleh Shah: Seeker of Light is co-presented by The Dance Centre and New Works on March 28 and 29 at 8 pm, as part of the Global Dance Connections series. A post-show artist talkback with Bhatti will follow the performance on March 29.
Tickets and more details are available here.
Post sponsored by The Dance Centre.
Related Articles
Presented by VIDF with New Works and the Chutzpah! Festival, double bill premieres works by Alexis Fletcher and Fernando Hernando Magadan
Inspired by the titular Sufi mystic, renowned artist’s new solo is co-presented by The Dance Centre and New Works
Cosmic circles, monumental walls of light, and inventive partnering as new Andrea Peña and Fernando Hernando Magadan works bring audiences to their feet
From an aeriform ballet on ice to a duet in total silence, there are several hot tickets this season
Week-long, half-day program is designed for beginner students ages eight to 15
Taiwan-born Pei Lun Lai and Costa Rica-raised Eduardo Jiménez Cabrera negotiate new challenges in the studio—and in their adopted Vancouver hometown
From We All Fall Down’s Papillon to BRKFST Dance Company’s STORMCLUTTER, artists bridge the gap between contemporary and street styles
The City of Others uses a rich mix of dance styles to explore racism and resilience, in DanceHouse production with Blackout Art Society, Latincouver, and VLACC
Inspired by the mesmerizing flight patterns of bird flocks, the work makes its Vancouver premiere in partnership with Canada Dance Ice Theatre
The solo for Jeanette Kotowich addresses the choreographer’s mixed Oji-Cree and Mennonite ancestry
The Afro-Colombian dance company headed by Rafael Palacios combines contemporary movement with traditional forms
Having its world premiere at the fest, the work merges the ancestral knowledge of mau rākau with contemporary dance
At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, Daina Ashbee’s We learned a lot at our own funeral takes an unblinking, unsettling look at the death of the self; surreal studies make big impacts at Small Stage
Company blends exuberant Bollywood dance with jazz, funk, folk, and modern influences
Monumental triple bill sees the return of Johan Inger’s PASSING along with world premieres from Fernando Hernando Magadan and Andrea Peña
At the Chan Centre, the New York City–based duo take on George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Schoenberg’s “V. Walzer”, and more
Multilayered work by Andrea Peña & Artists is full of animalistic ritual, raw emotion, and nods to Colombian history
Company artists Márcio Teixeira and Daniel Da Silva talk costumes and symbolism in the show ahead of a stop at the Massey Theatre
Copresented by PuSh Festival and Vancouver Art Gallery, the genre-bending work merges dance, new media, and video with immersive sound resonators
At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, the in-demand artist draws from the deeply personal and subconscious in the ritualistic new solo We learned a lot at our own funeral
Workshops will be facilitated by Majula Drammeh and Adam Grant Warren at the Scotiabank Dance Centre