Space exploration, tea drinking and the urban landscape are among the diverse topics explored by the four winners of the Big Dance Shorts India programme announced today by Big Dance, Channel 4 and the British Council.

The three minute dance films celebrate the relationship between dance and film, and between the UK and India. They are commissioned for Channel 4’s Random Acts strand as part of UK/India 2017 season, which is led by the British Council and the Indian High Commission.

This high-profile platform for UK and Indian filmmakers and choreographers is made possible by Big Dance, Channel 4, the British Council and supported by People Dancing and the Mayor of London. The winning commissions:

CUPPA? is a table-top dance, a playful duet between Indian and British approaches to the everyday act of preparing and enjoying a cup of tea. It is directed by Elena Nebreda and choreographed by Avatâra Ayuso.

EK CHOTI SI ASHA – A SMALL DREAM is a poetic response in movement to India’s audacious 2018 lunar mission: a female dancer explores physical challenges parallel to those a little robot will face on the surface of the moon. This is a new collaboration between British film-makers Rachel Davies and Daniel Saul and Indian choreographer/dancer Hemabharathy Palani.

BUT WHERE ARE YOU FROM? This film is an abstract moving canvas from up and coming Welsh-Indian Director Tina Pasotra which explores diversity and the fluidity of cultural identity.

CITY MIRRORS – Director Kate Cox explores how the architecture we live in shapes and moulds our movements. Choreographer Paleta CalmQuality mixes the traditional with the experimental against an original score that reflects the brutalist setting.

The films will be shown online and are broadcast as part of Channel 4’s Random Acts strand.

This exciting and high-profile platform for UK and Indian filmmakers and choreographers is commissioned by Big Dance, Channel 4, the British Council and is supported by People Dancing and the Mayor of London.