Payal Ramchandani presents bold new dance production Just Enough Madness on tour
Newcastle-based Kuchipudi dancer and choreographer Payal Ramchandani presents the UK Premiere of Just Enough Madness on tour to Dance City, Newcastle (22 November), Bradford Arts Centre (26 March), and The Lowry, Salford (31 March).
A bold new dance-theatre production, Just Enough Madness uses the fluidity of the Indian classical dance style of Kuchipudi to explore the silences surrounding motherhood, miscarriage, and mental health.
Through poetic text, ritual, and a striking live musical score, the piece moves through presence and absence, joy and rupture, asking what we carry, what we lose, and what we dare to reclaim in becoming - or unbecoming - a mother. Just Enough Madness sees Payal perform alongside live musicians in this raw and haunting confrontation between internal grief and external judgement.
As one of the very few artists representing Kuchipudi in the UK, Payal is at the forefront of bringing the form to new audiences, committed to ensuring its continued relevance today. Her work merges classical technique and tradition with contemporary themes, using Kuchipudi both as a lens and language to engage with pressing social and emotional narratives.
An award-winning artist with a growing national and international profile, Payal’s work has been showcased across theatres, festivals, galleries, and digital platforms. Her practice fosters empathy, encouraging audiences to see themselves in the work, where movement becomes a catalyst for reflection and resonance.
Kuchipudi, a South Indian classical dance form originating in Andhra Pradesh, is primarily performed to Carnatic music. Known for its rhythmic footwork, fluid movement, and expressive storytelling, it weaves gesture, mime, and characterisation into powerful dance-theatre.
Of Just Enough Madness, Payal Ramchandani said: “Kuchipudi is often seen only as a classical tradition, but for me it is also a language to express what is unspoken. In Just Enough Madness, I use the form to explore the silences around motherhood - what it means to become, or to un-become, a mother. I hope audiences glimpse something of their own journeys in the work.”
Just Enough Madness is been funded by Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants and commissioned by GemArts. It is presented in partnership with The Lowry, Milap, Bradford Arts Centre, and Dance City, with additional in-kind support from Pagrav Dance Company, Dance City, and Bradford Arts Centre.
