Felicia Norton in ‘NOOR‘ Photos: Eve Cuyen
About the dance:
NOOR, a 45 minute solo dance/ theatre piece performed by solo dancer Felicia Norton, has received critical acclaim in the US and Europe. NOOR is co-created by Felicia Norton and Sasha Spielvogel, artistic director of Labyrinth Dance Theatre. Noor Inayat Khan was a British SOE agent, who was parachuted into France and worked undercover during Nazi occupation in WW2. Felicia dances the role of Noor Inayat Khan, depicting Noor’s journey from the delight of her poetic childhood to her strength and dignity in the face of torture. The piece weaves Noor’s poems, musical compositions, and her translation of the Buddhist Jataka Tale “The Elephant Tale” interspersing these with Morse code, political speeches, voices, letters, and music of the era, into a lush and dramatic sound score by Emmy nominated composer David Majzlin.
Reviews of ‘NOOR’ Performances
“NOOR is performed as a solo by Felicia Norton; an extraordinary dancer. ….Choreographed by Felicia Norton and Sasha Spielvogel, NOOR is an absorbing 45-minute contemporary dance piece. Set to a recorded score by David Majzlin that brilliantly combines evocative music, dialogue, Morse code, political speeches, excerpts from personal letters, and dramatic sound effects, the work tells the gripping true story of Noorunnisa Inayat Khan, a Sufi pacifist- turned Allied spy who was eventually betrayed to the Gestapo and executed at Dachau.” –Lisa Jo Sagolla – BACKSTAGE
“NOOR, created by Felicia Norton and Sasha Spielvogel, is a remarkably poignant and exciting piece of dance/theater. Felicia Norton is a brilliant dancer whose embodiment of Noor Inayat Khan’s character and should be seen at all major International Festivals. ” –Rose Hartman, Panorama Magazine
“Felicia Norton captures the spirit of Noor Inayat Khan and tells her moving story with passion and intensity in a stunning work of dance theatre.” –Shrabani Basu, author of Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan
“Felicia Norton’s dancing in NOOR was nuanced and subtle.” -Amiel Clarke, Edinburgh Festivals Magazine
“Labyrinth Dance Theater’s production based on the life of Noor Inayat Khan is an incredibly riveting and inspiring story. I saw NOOR at the New York premiere and what was so amazing was the palpable sense of connection between the audience and Felicia Norton, who gives a 40-minute tour de force as Noor. I cannot praise this piece enough.” – Ellen McKey, Director, Foreign Fulbright Student Programs
“The highlight of the show was Labyrinth Dance Theatre’s NOOR. Performer Felicia Norton’s outstanding physical storytelling told the true life story of a brave woman who worked in occupied France as a spy for the Allies during the Second World War until her execution in Dachau. All three of the pieces are well-executed, providing an entertaining initiation into the contemporary dance scene in the US.” – Three Weeks, Edinburgh Weekly
NOOR SOLO DANCE
PERFORMANCE HISTORY
Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York
St Mark’s Church, New York City, New York
Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, New York.
Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland
Rudolf Steiner Hall, London, UK,
Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Benefit Concert
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Edinburgh, Scotland
Bryant Park Arts Festival
New York City, New York
Shambhala Institute
Boulder, Colorado
Erasing Borders: Festival of Indian Dance
New York City, NY
The Nehru Centre
London, UK
With an introduction by Shrabani Basu, author of ‘Spy Princess, The Life of Noor Inayat Khan’
Fazil Manzil, Noor’s family home near Paris/Suresnes, France
Angel Orensanz Center for the Arts
New York City, NY
Festival of the Arts, Sarasota, Florida
Please click here to read Reflections on Creating and Performing Noor by Felicia Norton, in Sufi News Magazine
Please click here to see a short excerpt of Noor:
Noor Inayat Khan (1914 – 1944)
