Unmasking Pain, Durham University Botanics: Kali Chandrasegaram and Sam Nightjar
Balbir Singh Dance Company
Balbir founded Balbir Singh Dance Company (BSDC) in 2005, creating a platform to bring Kathak and contemporary dance together.
Based in Leeds, BSDC works across the UK and in internationally, with a special continuing relationship to West and South Yorkshire, and to County Durham.
In 2012, BSDC was one of the first British Indian dance companies to be named a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) by Arts Council England, a rare distinction that cemented Balbir’s place in the UK’s contemporary dance scene.
The recognition also highlighted Balbir’s ability to bridge regional, national and international boundaries through his work.
In the more than a decade since then, BSDC has continued to receive NPO support, enabling the company to evolve beyond its original focus on synthesising the Kathak and contemporary dance styles.
Over this period, the company’s projects have become far more than just performances: they are spaces of dialogue, transformation and healing.
World Parkinson’s Day at Durham University Botanics: Jesse Bannister, Devika Rao and Eliot Smith
Collaborators for change
Balbir’s art is not merely for entertainment; it is an invitation for connection and a powerful catalyst for social inclusion. His focus on marginalised communities and his steadfast commitment to collaboration has made his work resonate across generations.
With the many ages, class, and cultural backgrounds and health conditions of his group of core dancers and artists, Balbir is redefining what an intercultural, multidisciplinary dance company can look like in the twenty first century.
Balbir and his company work deeply and collaboratively with experts in different sectors, from staff in a university biomedical science department to doctors and nurses involved in long term pain management, integrating the use of dance into research and treatment.
These collaborations bring kinetic, creative knowledge into unexpected sectors: from sport to health, heritage to the environment.
And all the while, Balbir’s unerring ability to steer a steady path through a dizzying array of subjects and sectors, means that audience and artist alike are transformed by the process.
Dear Sunflowers, Holmfirth Arts Festival parade: Adam Strickson and Devika Rao
Document, record, evaluate
Unusually and innovatively, Balbir places a design and documentation team at the centre of the work, both to support his approach and to create vibrant still and moving images of the projects.
Photographic, film and digital processes are integrated into Balbir’s approach: he uses it as a creative resource with artists and communities during a development phase and shares project material widely with live and online audiences.
The company’s extensive – and growing – collection of visual material can also become the seed of a future project. More than once a portfolio of images has become the springboard for taking the company off on a completely new creative adventure!
The commitment to record and document the creative process is also valued by BSDC’s project partners, who often use the material generated to support their assessment of a project’s impact and effectiveness.
Our South Shields: Thanks for the Memories, Beamish Museum: Sanchita Mazumdar and Devika Rao
Balbir and company artists at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance filming for BBC Dance Passions
