Akademi presents 'Escapade' on London's South Bank - a spectacular outdoor performance with dance, film, music and club culture on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd August 2003. The spaces outside the Royal Festival Hall will be transformed by this free event that is inspired by popular South Asian culture. Escapade is a 360º degree experience that will engulf audiences in a kaleidoscope of sights and sound. 150 dancers perform on multiple stages. The South Bank's modernist architecture becomes a huge film screen. Deconstructed Bollywood soundtracks fill the air and a top London DJ mixes the closing sounds.

Escapade is London seen through Indian eyes. The Royal Festival Hall bathed in light and full of surprising characters and encounters. It's a vision of the South Bank populated by Indian line dancers, skateboarders, Japanese tourists and buskers with sitars. At the heart of the piece is the story of two characters about to kiss. They are held in a moment of eternal anticipation. The twists and turns of their story are played and replayed in film, projections and dance - from skilful Kathak to a subversive ballet.

The film is by former V-tol director Mark Murphy. It provides the impetus for nine South Asian and contemporary dance-makers, Mita Banerjee, Sujata Banerjee, Chix Chandaria, Mavin Khoo, Henri Oguike, Dan O'Neill, Joan Pires, Satish Shah and Gauri Sharma Tripathi. Music is by Bollywood composer Sandeep Chowta who has remixed tracks from his new album, just released by Sony, for the show. A renowned DJ from London's music and club circuit will remix additional tracks for the climax of the night.

Escapade is produced by Akademi, the flagship organisation for South Asian dance in the UK, in association with the South Bank Centre. Conceived by Mira Kaushik, it is directed by carnival supremo Keith Khan and produced by Suzanne Walker.