Amina Khayyam Dance Company Begins Tour of BIBI RUKIYA’S RECKLESS DAUGHTER in Autumn 2025

She bemoans her mother for trapping her in cultural constraints dictated by men... why is she exercising their will?

BIBI RUKIYA’S RECKLESS DAUGHTER is the powerful new dance-theatre production from acclaimed choreographer Amina Khayyam. It explores the conditioned patriarchy enforced by women within family structures, binding generations in a cycle of control.

The production draws inspiration from Federico García Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba. Through the storytelling vocabulary and movement of Kathak dance, Khayyam delivers a bold, contemporary retelling exploring the complexities of familial relationships, societal expectations, and the personal desire for freedom.

Following a sold-out premiere at Birmingham Hippodrome’s Patrick Studio, Amina Khayyam Dance Company is proud to announce the national tour of BIBI RUKIYA’S RECKLESS DAUGHTER. The tour opens at The Place, London on 4 and 5 November 2025 and continues in venues across the UK into 2026.

The staggered tour format is a deliberate strategy by the Company to deliver an extensive outreach programme with local communities of women in each location. Performance Forum Labs introduce the themes and issues of AKDC's productions to community groups through a series of workshop programmes that run over a 3 to 6 month period.

The workshops empower women and girls to be creatively expressive, working with professional artists to explore the themes of the production and relate them to their own lived experiences. This culminates in a performance by the women to showcase their unique stories in women only environments.

Learn more about the Performance Forum Labs here: https://aminakhayyamdance.co.uk/performanceforumlabs

The current outreach programme is underway in Slough where women’s groups are meeting weekly from July to November. Their work will culminate in a women-only performance at The Curve, Slough, on 16 October. Those attending will be offered discounted tickets with travel included to the production of Bibi Rukiya’s Reckless Daughter at The Place.

With this process the Company is proven to empower the least engaged into mainstream places and environments that hitherto have been culturally inaccessible.

Bibi Rukiya’s Reckless Daughter was originally developed over 18 months through an extensive programme of outreach workshops with women's community groups nationwide. These workshops informed the narrative of Bibi Rukiya’s Reckless Daughter—exploring their real-life experiences.

Described as “deeply moving”* the production places women’s experiences front and centre in a performance with choreography that “embodied the struggle the characters were facing.”*

Using Kathak’s storytelling form, Amina Khayyam approaches this generational conflict through an exploration of feminism in these communities:

“There is a fallacy amongst our communities, deeply rooted in cultural practices, that our women should suffer – licensing the men in their families (husbands, fathers, sons) the power to dictate ‘a way of life’ for them. Since it’s been happening for centuries, it’s become the norm to accept and endure whatever gets thrown at them. In our workshops and Performance Forums I’ve explored Bibi Rukiya as a conflicted figure – seeking empowerment while remaining deeply conditioned by societal norms. In these women-only environments, it was refreshing to see their ability and willingness to challenge and question themselves – a dynamic I’m bringing to the stage” says Artistic Director Amina Khayyam.

Bibi Rukiya’s Reckless Daughter

Venue: The Place, London
Date: 7.30pm 4 & 5 November 2025
Tickets: https://theplace.org.uk/events/autumn-25-amina-khayyam-bibi-rukiyas-reckless-daughter

The performance on Tuesday 4 November will be followed by a post-show talk hosted by artist and activist, Shakila Taranum Maan.

Visit https://aminakhayyamdance.co.uk/bibi-rukiya for further information

Instagram @aminakhayyamdc
Facebook @aminakhayyamdance
X @AminaKhayyam