Edinburgh marches to Bollywood tunes

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, reputed for being one of the greatest cultural shows on earth, and the Edinburgh Mela, Scotland’s biggest celebration of world music and dance, have both joined hands this year with Delhi-based Teamwork Arts, a pioneering entertainment company, to bring Bollywood glitz and glamour to Edinburgh’s festival scene this year.
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which runs from August 7 – August 29, 2015 will present a nightly five-minute ‘street version’ of a Bollywood dance extravaganza, as part of the its ‘East Meets West’ theme. The Tattoo, a global gathering that combines military spectacle, cultural performance, vibrant music and international colour – all in an historic Scottish setting, is in its 66th year and will be held at the famous Edinburgh Castle Esplanade.
Followed by the performances at the Tattoo, the Main Stage at the Edinburgh Mela will showcase the famed musical ‘Bollywood Love Story’on Sunday, August 30thin Leith, Scotland.
Teamwork Arts’s Bollywood Love Story is a timeless tale of romance with pulsating dance tracks and foot-tapping music that transports the audience to the whimsical world of Bollywood. Played to packed houses across Asia, Europe and South Africa, it hasstaged 150 shows globally andgarnered rave reviews ever since it first hit the stage four years ago. With support from the Scottish Government Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund, a company of 12 performers and a choreographer have travelled from New Delhi in India to Edinburgh where they will join 40 dancers drawn from Asian dance groups across Scotland.
Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop said: “Once again The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will place Scotland on the world stage, showcasing our rich cultural heritage to thousands of people across the world.
Through Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund, we are pleased to support The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo’s collaboration with The Edinburgh Mela to bring Bollywood to the Esplanade this August. These dancers will be a great addition to the performers from Australia, United States, Canada and New Zealand that make The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo a global event. Scotland looks forward to welcoming people from across the world to celebrate the music and entertainment that’s on offer.”
‘East Meets West’ theme of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will celebrate the contrasts that exist in our world and those elements that are largely consistent and on occasion similar. Performers from all over Europe, America, Asia, Australasia and Canada will share the stage with some of the finest British Armed Forces performers and musicians, who will, among other features, mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.