Strictly Balti
by Saikat Ahamed
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.
Suitable for ages 11+
Duration: 55 mins + 15 min post show talk.
Available for school groups: Tickets £6 per pupil. 1 FREE teacher/adult with every 10 students booked. Please book groups via the Box Office 0161 912 5616
