Indian dance opens Queen’s Baton Relay 2010
London, 29th october 2009

Pioneering London dance company, Akademi, will perform at the opening ceremony of the Queen’s Baton Relay on 29 October 2009 at Buckingham Palace. The relay marks the start of the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games and runs through 70 countries on its way to India, symbolising the unity and shared ideals of the Commonwealth of Nations. The Queen’s Baton Relay has marked the start of the Commonwealth Games since the Cardiff Games in 1958. Approximately 2 billion people worldwide are expected to watch the opening ceremony.

Akademi will open the ceremony with OM – Voices speak across time and space, an invocation to the universe embodying the sacred hymns of the Rigveda. This will be followed by Bells, in which the splendours of the Mughal court are evoked through a spirited kathak display. Finally, a world of possibility is unleashed through Initium, a ritual procession bringing together the glorious angels of good fortune and hope.

Accompanying Akademi will be the highly acclaimed Tarang, whose performances feature a stunning variety of instruments and musicians creating a new sound for Indian classical music. “We are thrilled to have been asked to perform at this historic and symbolic event which really shows how different cultures from across the globe can join together to celebrate such a unique and world-class sporting event,” said Mira Kaushik, Director of Akademi.

Akademi is a pioneering organisation that works to encourage excellence in the practice of South Asian dance in Britain, and is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary. www.akademi.co.uk