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Snapshots of New Dance at the Royal Opera House Choreographed and conceptualised by Mayuri Boonham and performed by Ashley James Orwin, Tiger-Bharatanatyam is a dance based on an extract from R.K.Narayan’s novel A Tiger for Malgudi, in which the tiger narrates the circumstances of his capture, training and life in captivity as a performing circus act. Boonham explores the premise of a traditional Bharatanatyam dance structure to evolve a balance between classical and contemporary expression. Initial choreographic research for the piece took place as part of Boonham’s choreographic exploration during ROH2’s DanceLines 2009 directed by Wayne McGregor at the Royal Opera House. The Wake is choreographed by ROH Associate Choreographer Sarah Dowling in collaboration with the Royal Ballet dancers Kristin McNally and Thomas Whitehead. With music by singer and bodhran drummer Brona McVittie and violinist Ruth Elder, The Wake is a duet which occurs in the twilight hours of the night when the living and dead entwine. The Wake was originally developed out of a Battersea Arts Centre Scratch commission in collaboration with Geir Hytten. Choreographed by Marc Brew, the London Premiere of Fusional Fragments, explores the concept of fusion of fragments between classical ballet and contemporary dance, questioning whether elements can be fused together or if they should remain fragmented. With an original score by acclaimed composer and percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie and Philip Sheppard, the five dancers Avatara Avuso, James Cousins, Rebecca Evans, Davin King and Benjamin Ord investigate the difference and influences of the two styles. The creation of this work has been commissioned by the Unlimited programme which is part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, with the partnership with DanceEast.