Love & Spice
Love & Spice is a heartwarming and immersive performance that blends storytelling, dance, music, and food to create a vibrant and sensory-rich experience.
The audiences are transported on a journey of love, memory, and tradition through the story of an elderly couple—still deeply in love—who look back on their shared life through memories of the meals they’ve enjoyed together. But time has taken something from them. He has lost his sense of smell, and she can no longer taste.
Can spices—especially Black Pepper and Cardamom, the king and queen of spices—help them reclaim their lost senses and rekindle their cherished memories?
2024 to 2025
Promotional Materials
MA students from Leeds University collaborated with Balbir Singh Dance Company, visiting their rehearsal studio to observe performances and discuss details.
They noted that "in Indian dance, creative control lies with the dancers, allowing for greater freedom." The students promoted the event by translating promotional posters into Chinese and sharing them on social media, attracting many Chinese international students.
To enhance the audience's experience, they also provided Indian and Chinese speciality teas and snacks, allowing attendees to engage with the performance's cultural themes through dance and taste. This also contributed to their development within the Intercultural Interaction and Engaging the Modern City module.
The Rehearsal
The Performance
Audience Feedback
''Beautiful and provocative performance.''
''Great show, loved the music.''
''Good light, dance, music.''
''Joyous, educational performance.''
''It was so interactive and amazing.''
''I loved the balance of mesmerised performance, dance, narration and adding. We loved it.''
'' It was a lovely performance; I liked its costumes, storytelling, and creativity. I loved the music and interaction.
Survey by the Riley Theatre
Overall Impact
The audience survey results from the Love & Spice performance at Riley Theatre reveal that a significant majority of attendees were experiencing the Riley Theatre for the first time. This is particularly noteworthy as it reflects a growing interest in live performances in the area. Additionally, many audience members expressed their enjoyment of the cultural experience, having not attended such an event in over six years. This long-awaited return to the theatre environment has been met with enthusiasm and appreciation. The overall feedback gathered from the survey has been overwhelmingly positive, suggesting that the performance resonated well with the diverse audience.
Abirami Eswar
Devaraj Thimmaiah
Eleanor Stephenson
Kali Chandrasegaram
Ford Collier
John Ball
Adam Strickson
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