INDIAN dance, soul music, music hall, storytelling and the game of kings were all showcased during the penultimate week of the Rugby Festival of Culture.
Rugby’s Bharathatyam Dance Academy presented a spectacular show of Indian culture and music to a packed auditorium in the Benn Hall.
Over 60 dancers, aged between five and 20, carried the audience on a colourful journey around India using the ancient forms of classical and folk dance – some dating back as far as 2,500 years.
Academy co-ordinator Gita Natarajan said: “Bharathanatyam is a rich art form that deserves to be passed on to future generations. The Rugby Academy is pleased to have sustained this for 25 years and will continue to do so well into the future.”
Meanwhile, six-vocalist combo The Soul Train delighted an audience at the Benn Hall when they rolled into town with a new show, featuring the best of 60s and 70s soul and Motown music.
A nostalgic evening of entertainment helped celebrate the centenary of a beloved youth club when The Bradby Club took its audience 100 years back in time.
Friends and members of the club gathered in the main hall at Lawrence Sheriff School to enjoy Old Tyme Music Hall 1919, featuring a cast of Rugby’s stage talent who performed for free in aid of the club.
Performers included vocal and theatre stars Ali Bostock, Emma Bright, Kevin Bright and Fiona McCreath, keyboard players Mervyn Bethell and Joanna Foote, magician Richard Dunster-Sigtermans, raconteur David Howe and trumpeter Nick Long.
An eclectic group of local scribes known as Rugby Writers introduced their work to an appreciative audience at an open mic event in the Town and Country Club. Presentations of self-penned prose and poetry were peppered with recitals of work by other writers and original songs from local singer-songwriters Paddy Wex and Augustus Stephens. Rugby Writers meet at the Henry Street club on the first Thursday of every month.
The Rugby Festival of Culture continues until Sunday July 14. Visit www.therugbytown.co.uk/festivalofculture for more information.
