News ? Paintings brought to life by dance

A South Asian arts development agency will be bringing paintings to life at the National Gallery in London this summer. Birmingham based SAMPAD has been commissioned to develop two special performances based on storytelling and classical forms of Indian dance linked to the Gallery?s Italian Renaissance paintings.

The performances form part of Move it!, a programme of activities for adults, families and children, taking place at the Gallery over the summer. Piali Ray, Director of SAMPAD, said of the collaboration, ?Connecting Indian mythology and the paintings through stories and dance is a very exciting opportunity. It adds a further dimension to creating arts across cultures??.