On Sunday, May 4, the Chatham Capitol Theatre welcomes choreographer and singer Bageshree Vaze and a multicultural cast of dancers and musicians for Global Bollywood.
Bageshree Vaze’s Global Bollywood is a tribute to the rich musical landscape of Indian film music and the music composers who defined what is now celebrated as Bollywood music. Featuring a multicultural cast of dancers and musicians, the show displays a tapestry of global and eclectic influences of Indian popular music from the 1950s until now: jazz inspired by Benny Goodwin, to the 60s sound of the Beatles, to Disco and beyond.
Global Bollywood is directed by choreographer and singer Bageshree Vaze, an MTV India ‘rising star.’ Bageshree Vaze is an Indo-Canadian dance artist, musician and writer. She is the Artistic Director of Pratibha Arts, an organization that enhances the cultural fabric of Ontario through dance and music productions that often have influences from South Asian cultures. Bageshree is an award-winning Kathak dance artist (winner of the 2010 K.M. Hunter Award in Dance) and, as a vocalist, she has 5 albums to her credit. Her work has been presented at major festivals around the world and in 2022, Bageshree was the inaugural Dance Collection Danse Artist Researcher-in Residence and received the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Sound Composition (Dance Division).
The term Bollywood emerged as a nod to Bombay (now Mumbai), the heart of India’s Hindi film industry, fused with Hollywood’s cinematic legacy. More than just a film industry, Bollywood represents an ever-evolving musical and artistic tradition that resonates with audiences worldwide.
This vision led to Bageshree Vaze’s Global Bollywood—a vibrant, high-energy production that pays homage to the rich history of South Asian popular music and its evolution across borders. The show opens with Ina Mina Dika (1957) to highlight jazz’s influence on Indian film music and unfolds into a dazzling journey of rhythm, movement, and melody.
Featuring a stellar ensemble of Toronto-based musicians and dancers—including Sundar Viswanathan (saxophone, flute, vocals), Vineet Vyas (tabla), Derek Gray (drums), Dwit Hathi (guitar), and a talented cast of dancers—Global Bollywood is a celebration of cultural fusion and innovation.
For tickets to the evening performance, visit www.cktickets.com or call 519-354-8338 or toll-free 1-866-807-7770; tickets can also be purchased at the CKtickets Box Office located at the Chatham Cultural Centre, 75 William St. N. Chatham, ON. (open Monday-Friday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm).
