Strictly Balti (2014, 2015)
About the show
We thought dance class was good, we thought dance class was English. We were wrong. Now we see you are fully English, because you argue with your parents. In Bangladesh this wouldn’t happen. Well you’ve done what we never could. You’ve left Bangladesh behind.
Ballroom dancing is not the only humiliation heaped on Saikat by his ambitious parents. There’s catechism and Latin too. And no-one gets his name right, ever.
Join Saikat as he dances precariously through his dual-identity childhood, torn between the familiar sights of Birmingham and the mysteries of Bangladesh. Meet werewolves in the playground, nuns in the corridors and tangerines in the dancehall… The play takes a humorous look at what it means to be British from someone who had to learn the hard way.
This is a show for anyone who ever had to grow up, a show about being a second generation immigrant in the UK but feeling like an Englishman abroad.
Strictly Balti toured to schools in Bristol and venues in the south west of England in Autumn 2014, took on the Edinburgh Fringe in 2015, then toured the UK in Autumn 2015
Reviews from the Edinburgh Fringe 2015
Read the reviews:
Fest Magazine: https://www.festmag.co.uk/theatre/102879-strictly_balti (**** Sweet show)
The List: https://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk/event/492030-strictly-balti/ (*** A skilled and charming narrator)
The Mumble: http://mumbletheatre.net/2015/08/24/strictly-balti/ (**** Extraordinarily imaginative and vivid)
Audience Feedback:
Wonderful show ... lovely story and mesmerised by your performance. Brilliant. A definite must see show.
Fascinating how this young man had everyone gripped, brought laughter and sadness to his show. True genius. Brilliant.
This is a stunning piece of work by a master storyteller. Saikat had the audience spellbound from his first words to his last.
One of the finest shows I've ever seen at the Fringe, and simply one of the best pieces of theatre I've ever seen.
Beautiful, poetic, glorious storytelling - Go see!
Age range
Adults and young people aged 11+
Strictly Balti Trailer
Strictly Balti Trailer
Meet the cast
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Saikat Ahamed
Saikat
The creative team
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Sally Cookson
Director
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Katie Sykes
Designer
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Pete Judge
Composer/Musical Director
Resources
To accompany the show we have an Educational Resource Pack which you can download here or can request a copy to be emailed/posted to your school. Strictly Balti is the perfect link to different areas of the KS3 and 4 curriculum; particularly for Drama, PSHE and Citizenship.