Chitraleka Dance Company's new production 'The Story of 'C'' combines Indian dance tradition with modern science to present a new and spectacular sacred story. Inspired by Primo Levi's book, 'The Periodic Table' -- the performance tells the story of the journey of the carbon atom from its origins trapped in a rock, through deserts, ice wastes, waterfalls and forests, until as part of a vine, it is harvested by humans and turned into wine.

The Story of C draws upon the traditional dance forms of Bharatanatyam, Kathak and contemporary movement and is performed by an international group of seven dancers using music and digital projection. The choreographer, Chitraleka Bolar, wanted to show how Indian dance could be used to communicate ideas in science. She describes this work as 'exploring the mysteries of science through ancient dance and cutting edge modern technology.'

Chitraleka Bolar is one of the leading exponents of Bharatanatyam and Artistic Director of Chitraleka Dance Company, formed in 1990. The company focuses on South Asian dance in education and performance and is based at the School of Education, University of Birmingham. The company has toured extensively with several classical productions including Ashtanayika (inspired by the 8 heroines in the Indian classical dance text) and Kaishiki (a contemporary interpretation of the vocabulary and percussive rhythms of Bharatanatyam). Chitraleka Bolar also undertakes extensive teaching work and she is currently chair of Imperial Society of Teaching of Dance examination Board.

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