Choogh Choogh
by Beeja. Presented on tour by House Theatre
Fri 16 Feb, 11.30am & 2pm
All aboard for a delightful train journey through India.
Experience the sights, sounds and smells evoked through South Asian dance, music and theatre; and meet some amazing characters along the way.
choogh choogh is a family-friendly show inspired by the joy for travelling through India on a train. It combines classical Indian dance with contemporary movement, theatre and play, sharing with audiences a world full of colour, invention and flow. The journey starts with the audience getting a special choogh choogh ticket.
Three artists weave a traveling tapestry with three scarves and original songs evoking, the sights, sounds and smells of the train, hawkers, festivals, musicians, rivers, jungles and cities. Along the way your train ticket get checked and imaginary food is sold and shared. This show is an exploration of just how much we can see and imagine, together, as the train chooghs chooghs on.
Age guidance: 2-5 years & their families - plus train and travel lovers
Running time: 25 mins + stay and play
Audience feedback:
“A mesmerising, engaging and fun performance: we were transported to the sights, smells of India travels.”
“Joyful fun and adventurous.”
“I was completely blown away by the performance, it brought back memories of my childhood travels through India and my children were absolutely glued to the whole show, they loved it.”
“I enjoyed this show so much. This event reminded me of my childhood, to bring my kids to connect to my culture in such a fun way was brilliant, her friends loved it as well. Something to share across cultures for little kids is very valuable. Would love to come back and see more.”
“Brilliant: loved it, loved it, loved it! Please come back again!”
“Came with my grandchildren and absolutely loved the show, the colours, the images so lovely, they are from a mixed background so nice for them to also connect to their south Asian heritage. I love your work so much.”
School parents feedback:
“My child was absolutely buzzing about this when she got home!”
“Brilliant! My child came home telling us all about it.”
“Staff thought the dance company were amazing!”
“The children were absolutely mesmerised by the performance!”
“I was impressed that the children responded so well to the adults, not having met them before. They engaged with the stay and play so much and didn’t want the play to end. They loved learning the chai chai song”
“It was age-appropriate and the performers apparently adapted what they did in response to the children and to keep them engaged.”
"The three dancers, together with the sound track, plunge the audience into a reverie. A stream of images is evoked and we are on that rail journey. The thirty-minutes pass incredibly quickly, there is not a loose moment, the audience is hooked. Choogh Choogh is total theatre, immersive, a delight for the senses"
