Bharatanatyam dancer and lead artist Kirsten Newell will visit the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen on Tuesday, September 3, with the captivating storytelling, dance, and music show Hebridean Treasure: Lost & Found.
A joyful exploration of Scotland’s 19th-century Highland and Island spiritual landscapes, Hebridean Treasure combines Scottish and South Asian music and theatre with skilled Bharatanatyam dance from internationally acclaimed dancer Kirsten Newell.
The show tells a universal and poignant story of suffering, exile, and the loss of age-old wisdom, set against the historic spiritual backdrop of nineteenth-century Scottish Isles and Gaelic pasts, conveyed through prayer and poetry.
Aberdeen Performing Arts Director of Programming and Creative Projects, Ben Torrie, said: “This is a powerful and rich piece of storytelling, taking us on a journey that ultimately sends a beautiful message of hope.
“We’re proud to have this special production coming to the Lemon Tree.”
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 blends with critically acclaimed composer and Gaelic singer Mischa Macpherson’s music and Bharatanatyam dancer Kirsten Newell’s soulful, sweeping dance performance.
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Together, they bring audiences a message of hope – a new way of life that cherishes and recaptures our Celtic and Gaelic cultural heritage.
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.”
Writer John Philip Newell said: “In dance, music, song, and story, this production offers a spiritual vision of Earth that can be part of our healing today.”
