Podcasts about shobana jeyasingh

Shobana Jeyasingh CBE is a London-based choreographer. Born in Chennai, India, Shobana trained in Bharata Natyam (the classical dance of Tamil Nadu) and read English Literature before founding her eponymous company in 1989. Since then, she has created over 60 critically acclaimed works for stage, screen, and out and indoor sites, ranging from Palladian monasteries in Venice to contemporary fountains in London. Shobana's work is known for both its intellectual rigour and visceral physicality. It is rooted in her experience and perspective of life as a female postcolonial citizen of the world. Over the course of a distinguished career she has collaborated with scientists, curators, composers, film makers, digital creatives, dancers and designers to make dynamic multi-disciplinary work that places the body centre stage in the dialogue of ideas. On 19th and 20th August 2023, Shobana will be restaging her site specific work ‘Counterpoint' in the courtyard of Somerset House in London as part of the venue's Summer in the Courtyard series and Westminster City Council's Inside Out festival. Originally choreographed in 2010, the work contrasts the powerful curves and thrilling physicality of 22 dancers with the formal lines of the neoclassical courtyard and modernist fountains. Ahead of the performances, I couldn't wait to talk to Shobana about the original inspirations behind the piece, as well as her career long investigations into composition and writing stories with the body.

Sonia Sabri's eponymous company is one of the leading contemporary South Asian dance & music organisations in the UK. She has an international reputation for presenting classical North Indian Kathak dance in a contemporary context without diluting its integrity. Her fresh, new style of Kathak was developed by reinventing it from within, stretching its limits, and generating socially and politically engaged works that are relevant to today's audiences. Sonia frequently works across dance styles and art forms, and has collaborated which dance pioneering creatives such as Richard Alston, Shobana Jeyasingh, Nitin Sawhney, Jonzi D and many more. 

EPISODE LINKS Sonia Sabri Company (@soniasabrico) • Instagram photos and videos Sonia Sabri Company (ssco.org.uk) SHOW HIGHLIGHTS (0:02:03) 2022 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony (0:03:54) A Camp for Kathak (0:08:11) Catering to varying experience levels of dance (0:12:11) How do you teach differently compared to how you were taught (0:18:54) The issue of students dropping out of Kathak in high school (0:27:06) Outreach and Education: Teaching audiences about dance (0:35:01) Making your content specific to your audience (0:39:38) What does it mean to collaborate? (0:49:02) Building relationships with dancers (0:56:02) Hiring dancers for Sonia Sabri Dance Company (1:04:34) Performing kathak for 10,000 people: WOMAD (1:06:47) How would you like to be remembered? BIO She also runs Kathakaars, a creative forum for aspiring dancers providing vocational training and offering a range of performance and choreographic opportunities to create a legacy of high quality artists Sonia Sabri is UK's leading Kathak dancer, amongst the brightest and most inspirational of British born dancer-choreographers working in the twenty-first century. Creating work that spans from the presentation of classical roots of Kathak to explorations of contemporary approaches, her productions reflect an appreciation of Western and Eastern cultures. She has created a fresh, unique style of Kathak by reinventing it from within, by pushing boundaries and generating work that is original in concept and exciting and relevant to today's audiences. As a dance artist, she is acclaimed for her enchanting stage presence, grace and musicality that enthral audiences both nationally and globally. She has secured an international reputation for collaboration across dance styles and art forms including work with pioneers Sarvar Sabri, Arlene Phillips CBE, Sir Trevor Nunn, Richard Alston, Lea Anderson, Shobana Jeyasingh, Nitin Sawhney, Rose English, Jonzi D, Jatinder Verma to mention a few. As well as touring with work created in Britain across the world she has been supported and commissioned by UKTI and British Council and independent bodies to create new work and lead meaningful learning and participatory projects. One of many highlights include her work in the Emirates touring with Kathakbox; leading movement based workshops and residencies for women only groups and especially from orthodox backgrounds; residencies with children with learning difficulties, and creation of new dance and live music works with girls. Sonia is the first female artist and female led dance company to have toured the Emirates and other parts of the Middle east. Sonia's art is the seed of all her outreach work in the community for different groups including women, young people and children, mothers and daughters, young families, elderly people through to working with women of mental and health concerns many of which referred by GPs. Some examples include working with women in some of the deprived areas in the country using movement and music as a way to share their personal experiences as a way of therapy. Providing a safe environment, emotive language of art and with Sonia's sensitive and sympathetic nature (derived from her personal experiences), women unveiled their inner most thoughts, challenges, concerns and broken dreams. Through carefully considered and bespoke arts programmes, residencies and workshops, Sonia has enabled many women to transform their lives. Some examples include - many have gone into education; have built confidence to communicate with their families about their inner most feelings / concerns which otherwise they feared to voice; change their lifestyle towards positive mental and physical health; build friendship circles to empower other women. Some who had lifelong dream to dance, sing, or play an instrument were provided a platform to do so and have now gone on to seek vocational training to develop their talent with some now performing in community and professional settings. Sonia has also trained library workers in community libraries and in health centres how to use the toolkit of Kathak dance and offer emotional and physical wellbeing, build child and parent relationships, and approaches to communicate with women of culturally sensitive backgrounds who often felt detached from main stream society. Where ever Sonia has delivered and continues to deliver these programmes, there is a legacy of empowered women who are now helping other underrepresented women.  Sonia works with women and girls of all backgrounds and experiences and many are from the muslim community. She is considered a role model nationally and not exclusively for the South Asian community given the ground-breaking work she has developed through her artistic practice. There are very few women of her faith and cultural heritage and a proud British Indian leading the way for the future generation. In addition, Sonia is a teacher of Kathak and regularly undertakes various workshops, lecture- demonstrations and residencies in both national and international venues. She is accredited by the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD). Recently she was commissioned by BBC Young Dancer 2017 as one of the mentors and choreographers for the grand finals.

In this interview with the artist Joshua Sofaer, Oriana asks for his help in finding her purpose, her why. He is, after all, a socially engaged artist who is deeply invested in turning life into art because art makes life more interesting than art. And, he's also a relational dynamics coach and Oriana pays for his services from time to time. They also discuss the possibility of breaking into the mainstream simply by imitating the trappings of fame. But that is not all! Tune in to get the scoop on self-help, self-exposure, doubt and boilerplate definitions.Dr Oriana Fox is an artist with a PhD in self-disclosure. She puts her expertise to work as the host of the talk show performance piece The O Show . Joshua Sofaer is an artist who is centrally concerned with modes of collaboration and participation, which he explores through social sculpture, performance, installation, exhibition and publication. Equally as comfortable in the clean white gallery, the dramatic  stage of the opera house, the carefully positioned vitrine of the museum, the shared areas of public space, and the domestic personalised rooms of private homes, what draws Sofaer's diverse practices together is a concern with how audiences engage with the world as a place of potentiality. “Art is what makes life more interesting than art” is a quote from the Fluxus artist Robert Filliou, which he gave originally in French as, “L'art est ce qui rend la vie plus intéressante que l'art”.The O Show "Business or Pleasure?" episode discussed on this podcast is available to watch on Oriana's website and youtube channel.Artists mentioned in this podcast: Shobana Jeyasingh, Gavin Turk, Robert Filliou, Stacy Makishi, Hamja Ahsan, Jeremy Deller, Miranda July and Lois Weaver [FYI: Lois will be interviewed on an upcoming episode of this very podcast series]Cultural figures who have become famous and made a lot of money after doing TED talks mentioned in this podcast: Brené Brown, Simon Sinek and Ruby Wax (well, she was famous before her TED talk, to be fair)Credits:Hosted, edited and produced by Oriana FoxPost-production mixing by Stacey HarveyThemesong written and performed by Paulette HumanbeingSpecial thanks to Katie Beeson, Janak Patel, Sven Olivier Van Damme and the Foxes and Hayeses. Would you like to see your name in the above credits list? In a couple of short steps you can make that happen by supporting this podcast via Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/orianafox

Choreographer and director Shobana Jeyasingh has been creating dynamic, fearless and ground breaking dance works for 30 years. Born in Chennai, India, her acclaimed pieces have toured internationally, tapping into both the intellectual and physical power of dance. Two years ago her major new work Contagion was inspired by the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 which infected a third of the world’s population. It’s estimated that this flu killed between 50 and 100 million people, more than the First World War itself. Felicity Finch joined Shobana and her company of eight female dancers, along with the show’s composer and video designer, as they explored the challenge of how to portray the Spanish flu virus and its devastating effects through contemporary dance. Two years later, Felicity explores how Shobana feels about this piece in the midst of a new global pandemic and how the work is very relevant today.

Movement is at the heart of choreography – but how is it generated and how does it become choreography? Shobana and six company dancers talk about what happens inside the dance studio.   In previous episodes of our Surface Tension podcast, we’ve looked at choreography from a range of different viewpoints: the themes of science and science fiction, the considerations required for site-specific works, and the creative inputs of writers, musicians, film-makers and designers - as well as virologists and clergymen!   But there’s one vital group of people we haven’t spoken to in detail: the dancers themselves. So in this episode, we open a window onto the rehearsal studio as Guardian dance writer Sanjoy Roy finds out about the interactions between dancers and choreographer, and between dance and choreography.   Shobana Jeyasingh puts the moment in context: when she first meets the dancers in the studio, much “choreographic” work has already been begun outside it – research undertaken, ideas and themes sketched out, collaborators commissioned.   Listen to Shobana and six experienced dancers – José Agudo, Carmine de Amicis, Avatâra Ayuso, Catarina Carvalho, Estela Merlos and Sooraj Subramaniam – talking about what happens inside the studio. We find out about the dancers’ very varied technical training – ballroom, jazz, folk and flamenco as well as ballet, contemporary and bharatanatyam – and about how they work together so that their many different voices contribute to the same artistic conversation.   The dancers talk about the depth of research and the scope of their contribution, both physically and mentally, and what it’s like to be part of a picture on the inside while Shobana has the view from the outside.   Shobana talks about creating frames for tasks, why it’s ok to lose rungs from the ladder, and why she feels like a film director. And have you ever wondered what the difference is between dance and choreography? She pinpoints one crucial distinction between a dance sequence and a choreographic phrase.   Of course, what goes into the studio eventually comes out of it. How does it feel for the dancers and for the choreographer when their closed creation finally becomes a public performance?

In this bonus episode listen to the Q&A with Sanjoy Roy and Shobana Jeyasingh on stage at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, after the London premiere of Staging Schiele on 4 November 2019. This accompanies Episode 5 of Surface Tension which charts the process of creation, rehearsal and touring of Staging Schiele.

Accompanying the full-length online broadcast of Shobana Jeyasingh's latest work, Staging Schiele (available until the end of 2019), Episode 5 of Surface Tension charts the process of creation, rehearsal and touring of the piece. Presenter Sanjoy Roy introduces the latest production which the company have just toured, Staging Schiele and talks to Shobana about the origins of the piece and how her interest in the life, work and death of Egon Schiele was sparked. Conversation covers the rehearsal process, what parts of Schiele’s life and paintings were reflected in the choreography and themes of the male artist and the female nude. Shobana describes the sections of the piece: Mirror / Doppleganger / In the Studio (later called Radical Nude / Censor / Relationships (Schiele with his mother, wife and muse). We jump back to May 2019, when Shobana and company were in the research and development phase for the piece. We talk to company dancer Dane Hurst, who took on the Schiele role, about the research period and using imagery to inspire movement. Fast forward to September 2019, when Sanjoy caught up with Shobana whilst she was making changes to the storyline. Then we hear from composer Orlando Gough, where he talks about the notion of anxiety and how to incorporate it within the music. The music is almost all sung, whispered and shouted by one male voice, which we assume to be Schiele. Next we chat to menswear designers COTTWEILER: Ben Cottrell and Matthew Dainty who talk about getting a feel for Shobana’s take on Staging Schiele, research processes and meeting the dancers before starting to design the costumes. They take into consideration how possible fabrics react to the lighting, stage and set in a very detailed way. Ben Cullen Williams, visual artist, describes his approach to designing the set, a location for the piece. He designed the steel frame structure to be collapsable and flatpack so it could fit in a van. The set provided a structure for the piece but also the psychological state of Schiele which the dancers existed in. The lighting was designed to give a sense of disturbance, unease and anxiety with constant flickering and twitching in and around the set. November 2019, in the foyer of Queen Elizabeth Hall after the London Premiere of Staging Schiele Sanjoy interviews Orlando Gough about the ‘most intense dance piece I’ve ever seen’. Dancers Catarina Carvalho, Dane Hurst and Estela Merlos talk about performing across the duration of the tour, injuries, how they supported each other and how the tone of the piece matured and changed. Finally we talk to Shobana after the performance, about the audience reaction and energy in the auditorium, the challenges of putting on a show, the creative team achieved, and the ’synergy of vision amongst the creative collaborators’ on Staging Schiele.

Episode 3 of Surface Tension focusses on three site-specific works: Counterpoint (performed in the courtyard at Somerset House), TooMortal (presented in various churches) and Outlander (a monastery in Venice). Our presenter Sanjoy Roy opens by asking Shobana about the practical and artistic questions of making work for different spaces outside of theatres. We speak to Jenny Waldman who commissioned Counterpoint in 2010 to be performed in and amongst the fountains in the courtyard of Somerset House. 20 female dancers were specifically chosen to dance in the 55 fountains of this vast and classical space.  TooMortal was commissioned by Dance Umbrella and the Venice Biennale to be performed in churches. Shobana and Father Allan Scott, former Rector of St Mary's Old Church in London, describe the incredible difficulty in finding a church in Venice that would allow dance to take place. Too strange? Not suitable? Women dancing in the pews? In the end St George's Anglican Church in Venice agreed to take piece... We talk to Betsy Gregory, former Artistic Director for Dance Umbrella, about the excitement around programming for non-theatre spaces and putting dance in unusual locations. In the third section, we move on to Outlander from 2016, made for a monastery in Venice, which used to house the painting 'Wedding at Cana' by Paolo Veronese. Sander Loonen joins the discussion via skype to talk about his role as production manager and the staging for this very bespoke piece.  Shobana recounts that the initial inspiration came from Veronese’s exuberant masterpiece which features a contemporary, multicultural wedding feast. Performed by three company dancers, it is a closely observed series of solos that shift between reflection and speed. The work contrasts Shobana’s choreography with the classical beauty of Venice. Each dancer becomes a character who brings their own mixture of strangeness and familiarity to Veronese’s celebrations on a specially designed catwalk lit by Sander Loonen and with a baroque inspired soundscape by Scanner.   Shobana Jeyasingh @SJeyasinghDance Born in Chennai, India, she currently lives and works in London. Her acclaimed, highly individual work has been seen in all kinds of venues, including theatres, outdoor and indoor sites and on film. Her work taps into both the intellectual and physical power of dance, and is rooted in her particular vision of culture and society. Shobana’s work is often enriched by specially commissioned music composed by an array of contemporary composers — from Michael Nyman to beat-boxer Shlomo. Her eclectic band of creative collaborators have included filmmakers, mathematicians, digital designers, writers, animators, as well as lighting and set designers.   Sanjoy Roy @sanj0yr0y Sanjoy Roy (London, UK) has been writing on dance for the Guardian since 2002, and has contributed to many other publications including the New York Times, New Statesman, Dance Gazette and Dancing Times, and is London correspondent for Dance International magazine. He is currently also the editor of Springback Magazine, a Europe-wide online dance journal launched in 2018. First writing about Shobana in 1997, he has since written reviews and articles on her work, as well as interviews, programme notes and education materials for her company.

Episode 2 of Surface Tension turns the spotlight on Faultline from 2007. Presenter Sanjoy Roy recollects his memories of the piece, the style, aesthetic and evocative atmosphere. The anxiety, the coolness and the swagger of what it meant to be young, British and Asian at that time. A shift in cultural climate after the 2005 bombings - when young Asian men became suspicious in society. He speaks to Shobana Jeyasingh about the triggers that shaped the piece; the 2005 London bombings, subsequent raids and the hysterical unease that was pervasive in every day life. All of which contributed to the look and feel of Faultline. Shobana talks about the various creative collaborations that all knitted together in the final piece; the film which acted as the prologue, the initial introduction of the dancers, characters and music - in particular the voice of Patricia Rozario. Plus the direct influence of Gautam Malkani’s book Londonstani, published in 2006, which had a profound effect on the movement generation phase of Faultline. We talk to author Gautam Malkani about his own experience of growing up in London, the culture adopted by Asian rude-boy gangs. He talks about the hyper masculinity, language, posing and posturing that characterised his book and reads some excerpts. We hear Gautam’s reaction on hearing that his book had inspired a dance piece and how Shobana was able to encapsulate the essence and themes in a very direct choreography of raw aggression. We speak to Robin Rimbaud (Scanner) who composed the score for Faultline. Shobana wanted him to create a soundscape that produced a dark, charged and intense atmosphere; a sonic picture of London in 2007 using electronic music. Composer Errollyn Wallen joins the conversation to talk about how she collaborated and shaped the music to compliment Robin’s soundscape. In the final section we interview artist and filmmaker Pete Gomes who produced the visuals and the approach he agreed on with Shobana. Series Producer, Melissa FitzGerald @Melissafitzg   Shobana Jeyasingh @SJeyasinghDance Born in Chennai, India, she currently lives and works in London. Her acclaimed, highly individual work has been seen in all kinds of venues, including theatres, outdoor and indoor sites and on film. Her work taps into both the intellectual and physical power of dance, and is rooted in her particular vision of culture and society. Shobana’s work is often enriched by specially commissioned music composed by an array of contemporary composers — from Michael Nyman to beat-boxer Shlomo. Her eclectic band of creative collaborators have included filmmakers, mathematicians, digital designers, writers, animators, as well as lighting and set designers. Gautam Malkani @GautamMalkani Robin Rimbaud (Scanner) @robinrimbaud Errollyn Wallen @ErrollynWallen  Pete Gomes @gomespete Sanjoy Roy @sanj0yr0y Sanjoy Roy (London, UK) has been writing on dance for the Guardian since 2002, and has contributed to many other publications including the New York Times, New Statesman, Dance Gazette and Dancing Times, and is London correspondent for Dance International magazine. He is currently also the editor of Springback Magazine, a Europe-wide online dance journal launched in 2018. First writing about Shobana in 1997, he has since written reviews and articles on her work, as well as interviews, programme notes and education materials for her company.

SURFACE TENSION THE PODCAST FROM SHOBANA JEYASINGH DANCE 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of Shobana Jeyasingh Dance. To celebrate we’re producing a series of podcasts that explore Shobana’s work, her pioneering vision and her contribution to the UK’s cultural landscape. Join Guardian Dance critic Sanjoy Roy as he interviews Shobana, company dancers and collaborators to examine the themes and inspiration behind her adventurous work. We delve into the archives to find out how Shobana’s choreography did (or didn’t) fit into the dance scene 30 years ago, her research and creative processes, dance styles and the alternative path she has taken from the outset of her career.  During this first episode - Configurations - Sanjoy Roy speaks to choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh and composer Michael Nyman to get their take on how the Configurations collaboration came about. Each share memories about the process, research and how they combined contrasting elements of Western contemporary music and Indian classical music. Shobana tells how the relationship between choreographer and composer was all about communicating patterns of rhythm, in this instance, with no shared musical history and details the challenges of representing Bharatha Natyam dance via a string quartet. Michael candidly describes how Shobana 'threw down the gauntlet' in supplying precise notations on bharatanatyam rhythms and how she inspired him to write 'String Quartet No. 2'. After first hearing Michael’s score Shobana recounts her initial impressions, running around the sound world trying to find information that dancers needed. We hear how the piece finally came together with choreography and music and how it evolved into quartet, via a trio. Shobana talks through the balancing act between the visuals and the richness of the music. Presented by Sanjoy Roy @sanj0yr0y Series Producer, Melissa FitzGerald @Melissafitzg With:  Shobana Jeyasingh @SJeyasinghDance Born in Chennai, India, she currently lives and works in London. Her acclaimed, highly individual work has been seen in all kinds of venues, including theatres, outdoor and indoor sites and on film. Her work taps into both the intellectual and physical power of dance, and is rooted in her particular vision of culture and society. Shobana’s work is often enriched by specially commissioned music composed by an array of contemporary composers — from Michael Nyman to beat-boxer Shlomo. Her eclectic band of creative collaborators have included filmmakers, mathematicians, digital designers, writers, animators, as well as lighting and set designers. Michael Nyman @michaelnyman Michael Nyman is one of the UK’s most innovative and celebrated composers. His reputation is built upon a substantial body of work written for a wide variety of ensembles, not only for his own band, but also for symphony orchestra, choir and string quartet. Film scores include The Draughtsman's Contract, Prospero’s Books, A Zed and Two Naughts and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, all directed by Peter Greenaway Other scores include Neil Jordan's The End Of The Affair; Michael Winterbottom’s Wonderland, A Cock And Bull Story, and The Trip; Andrew Niccol’s Gattaca, and Jane Campion's The Piano, the soundtrack album of which has sold more than three million copies. His music was used in the BAFTA award winning and Oscar nominated film, Man on Wire.  Sanjoy Roy @sanj0yr0y Sanjoy Roy (London, UK) has been writing on dance for the Guardian since 2002, and has contributed to many other publications including the New York Times, New Statesman, Dance Gazette and Dancing Times, and is London correspondent for Dance International magazine. He is currently also the editor of Springback Magazine, a Europe-wide online dance journal launched in 2018. First writing about Shobana in 1997, he has since written reviews and articles on her work, as well as interviews, programme notes and education materials for her company.

Shobana Jeyasingh is a British choreographer. Born in Chennai, she grew up studying the classical Indian dance form bharatanatyam. She launched her own contemporary dance company in 1988. Past works have explored science, classical painting and urban architecture, working with composers, mathematicians and filmmakers. In 2015 she created a piece, commissioned by the Royal Ballet, that directly challenged the stereotype of the exotic Indian dancer. For Only Artists she meets Hussein Chalayan at the Place Theatre, the home of the London Contemporary Dance School. Hussein Chalayan has twice won the Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards, and was awarded the MBE in 2006. He was born in Cyprus and moved to Britain with his family when he was 8. From his first graduation collection which he left to decompose buried in a garden, to a coffee table which transforms into a skirt and remote-control dresses, Chalayan is known for his highly creative designs, worn by the likes of Bjork and Lady Gaga. He has made films, had his work shown in galleries and directed and designed a dance piece, Gravity Fatigue, at Sadler's Wells Theatre. Producer: Katy Hickman.

Andrew Marr talks to the Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk about his latest novel, The Red-Haired Woman. Set in Istanbul in the 20th century, it's a family drama which weaves together competing foundation myths of patricide and filicide and pits tradition against modernity; east and west. There are more competing ideologies in Jon Sopel's 'Notes from Trump's America' which paints a picture of a country riven by divisions between black and white, rich and poor, the urban and the rural. Reality and fantasy play a part in the choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh's critique of the orientalist ballet La Bayadere. She looks back to the moment in the 19th century when genuine Indian dancers were rejected in favour of the idealised exotic version of the temple dancer in the Western imagination. 'What Shadows' is a play that tells the story of Enoch Powell's famous 'rivers of blood' speech from 1968, and its impact on the country decades later. The play's director Roxana Silbert says the play shows how prejudice can be found across the political spectrum. Producer: Katy Hickman.

Anne McElvoy explores topics discussed at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum held in Davos - she's joined by former Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander, economist Liam Halligan and MIT scientist Andrew McAfee. Ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27th, New Generation Thinker Seán Williams discusses his research into barbers in the camps. Choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh discusses the way the history of indentured labour has influenced her latest dance piece.Shobana Jeyasingh's Material Men Redux, informed by the personal stories of dancers Sooraj Subramaniam and Shailesh Bahoran, tours to Nottingham, Ipswich, Eastleigh, Birmingham, Glasgow and London from February.Producer:Torquil MacLeod.

As part of BBC Dance season, pioneering choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh presents her choice of music, including works which have influenced and inspired many of her dance compositions. Born in India and with roots in Sri Lanka and Malaysia, Shobana founded her dance company in London in 1988. Her acclaimed works are often created for outdoor and unusual settings and she regularly collaborates with contemporary composers including Kevin Volans and Michael Nyman. (Photo: Shobana Jeyasingh / credit: Chris Nash)

Mary Ann Sieghart discusses harmony and balance, in the universe and on a smaller scale. She is joined by Nobel Prize winning physicist Frank Wilczek, whose new book examines whether beauty is one of the organising principles of the universe, and by the choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh, who uses dance to explore our relationship with science and technology. The mathematician and standup comedian Matt Parker outlines things you can make and do in the fourth dimension, and the Canadian baritone opera singer and keen amateur astronomer Gerald Finley brings his perspective to bear. Producer: Katy Hickman.

With Mark Lawson. The winner of the 25th William Hill Sports Book of the Year is announced live on Front Row from the ceremony in London. The books by the six authors shortlisted for the £25,000 prize cover genetics in sport, Lance Armstrong's doping, international football, rowing, Hitler's Berlin, corruption in cricket, and a racehorse doping gang. The shortlist in full (alphabetically by author's surname): The Boys In The Boat: An Epic True-Life Journey to the Heart of Hitler's Berlin by Daniel James Brown The Sports Gene: What Makes The Perfect Athlete by David Epstein Bookie Gambler Fixer Spy: A Journey to the Heart of Cricket's Underworld by Ed Hawkins I Am Zlatan Ibrahimovic by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Lagercrantz and Ruth Urbom Doped: The Real Life Story of the 1960s Racehorse Doping Gang by Jamie Reid Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong by David Walsh Mark talks to choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh, who is renowned for dance creations of visceral energy. This autumn tbe Southbank Centre celebrates her company's 25th anniversary. The French writer Marcel Pagnol is best-known for the 1986 screen adaptations of two of his books: Jean De Florette and Manon Des Sources. Actor Daniel Auteuil shot to fame in both films, and he's now directing Pagnol's Marseille trilogy: Marius, Fanny Et César. Fanny and Marius are released this week. Novelist Kamila Shamsie reviews. Producer: Timothy Prosser.