The women using ancient dance to tell new stories

When Anne Tiburtius was asked 30 years ago to perform a dance she loved at an event, she did not expect it to grow into a dance company of more than 70 performers.

Three decades later, she is now artistic director of Natyapriya, a dance group named with the ancient Indian language Sanskrit in mind - 'Natya' meaning 'dance' and 'priya' meaning 'lover'.

It launched in late 1995, with lessons in Bharatanatyam, a classical dance from South India, following an International Women's Day celebration in Norwich. Now the women use an old art form to explore modern themes, including "coercive control, domestic violence, [and] immigrant journeys".

"When people watched the dance, they were very fascinated because it is really very unusual and very stylised, but really quite beautiful," she said.

"And that made me think maybe there is a wider audience for this very niche art form."

The company has gone from a few dancers performing at private functions and Diwali parties to several classes a week and annual performances.

"Up until a few years ago, we were doing largely stories from Indian mythology, because it's so rich and layered and nuanced, and there were all kinds of perspectives you could come at a story from," Tirburtius said.

"But...we are now using a very ancient art form to see whether we can tell more relevant and contemporary stories."

"So, we have actually explored things like coercive control, domestic violence, immigrant journeys".

Bharatanatyam is a very expressive form of dance using the whole body to tell a story or express joy.

Originating in temples, it is normally used to tell the stories of Hindu gods.

Dana John, 27, has been dancing since the age of four and believes classical forms of dance can evolve to find new audiences.

"Anne and I did a dance drama on what it's like to be a young child, a young woman, and then motherhood," John said.

"And I think that really reached out to parents and young adults."

It has also meant developing new moves which are not within the language of Bharatanatyam, such as holding a mobile phone.

"That's how we're evolving, trying to see how we can show an old dance form in a modern, contemporary way, just trying to make it a bit more inviting to the audience," she added.

Sherly Joseph started dancing after her daughter, who was experienced in Bharatanatyam, left for university.

Shortly afterwards, Joseph had a stroke which left her unable to speak and paralysed her left side.

The dancers would video-call her in hospital so she could watch the practices, and five months later, Shirley was invited to sit on stage in costume as part of the company's annual showcase.

"Being part of the group gave me a purpose, otherwise I would have been just sitting at home, feeling all down, depressed," Joseph said.

It was also decided that the company should launch dance classes open to the public, specifically to help Joseph recover. These soon grew to three sessions a week with dancers of all ages.

"Being part of this family, being with Anne and the rest of my sisters, kind of gave my life back. So I'm grateful," she added.

Natyapriya has performed a dance drama every September since 2002. It has also worked with community groups to create public performances.

"We've had some extremely surreal experiences, as you can imagine...we danced at the army barracks at Swanton Morley, where they had a complete fake Taj Mahal erected...we've even danced in the old shoe factory, and we actually did a show that was themed around shoes," Tiburtius said.

The company marked International Women's Day this year with a workshop, talk and performance of 'Shakti', which looks at the power of the divine feminine.

"We've always said that accessibility and communication is very key...if people can't connect to it, it will die very quickly. It cannot be stagnant. It has to evolve, and it has to move along with the sensibilities of the time," she added.

Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.