Dancer Kirsten Newell to tour Scotland with John Philip Newell’s 'Hebridean Treasure: Lost & Found'

Touring from 2 - 22 September across Aberdeenshire; Banchory; Skye; Mull; Iona; Harris; Stornoway and Findhorn, Hebridean Treasure: Lost & Found blends Scottish and South Asian music and theatre with skilled Bharatanatyam dance from internationally acclaimed dancer Kirsten Newell to tell a universal and poignant story of suffering, exile, and the loss of age-old wisdom, set against the historic spiritual background of nineteenth century Scottish Isles and Gaelic pasts told through prayer and poem.

The show will visit a plethora of Scottish arts, culture, and community venues including The Lemon Tree, The Barn, Skye Gathering Hall, An Lanntair, An Tobar/Mull Theatre, Universal Hall, and others.

Originally inspired by The Wooster Group’s acclaimed 2014 piece Early Shaker Spirituals and Alexander Carmichael’s (1832-1912) work ‘Carmina Gadelica’, Celtic scholar and author John Philip Newell’s writing meshes with critically-acclaimed composer and Gaelic singer Mischa Macpherson’s (Winner of BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award, MG Alba Scots Trad Music Award) music and Bharatanatyam dancer Kirsten Newell’s (Kalakshetra Foundation, ATMA Dance Company, Cosmic Dance) soulful, sweeping dance performance to bring audiences a message of hope: a new way of life that cherishes and recaptures our Celtic and Gaelic cultural heritage.

Kirsten Newell

On taking the show across Scotland, Kirsten Newell said: ‘Hebridean Treasure: Lost & Found’ has really touched my soul; I have felt deeply connected to the prayers and poems of the western isles, which have long-reminded me of India’s sense of the sacred. It is a powerful story of suffering, but with an ending that holds seeds of hope for a new way of seeing in Celtic spirituality for today. It is a joy to take this production to Gaelic speaking Hebridean islands, where the story belongs, and to collaborate with such incredible musicians and artists throughout.’

Kirsten Newell's training in ballet and contemporary instilled in her a passion for dance from a young age and in 2006 she began training in Edinburgh with Priya Srikumar; it was from here that her connection with India began. Kirsten went initially to Attakalari Centre for Movement Arts in Bangalore, India. Her love of the form and desire to perfect the technique led her onto the renowned Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai, India, graduating in 2013 with a first class degree.

Passionate about sharing Bharatanatyam dance in Scotland, in 2019 Kirsten began working with Oxana Banshikova (Founder and artistic director of Cosmic Dance). Merging decades of performing and teaching experience, Cosmic Dance takes Indian Classical Dance to new heights in Scotland through their high-quality Bharatanatyam projects, performances and dance classes.

Weaving in and out of a complex tapestry of ancestral grief, Hebridean Treasure: Lost & Found draws comparisons between the ancient Vedic and Celtic cultures through songs in Gaelic, Tamil and Hindu, and the combination of Celtic and Carnatic music, to reflect on the relationships with and similarities between social and folk customs, mythology and traditional musical form.