It was with odd reluctance that I took the hand of a pretty young girl in Room 17 of the British Museum on Saturday afternoon as she dragged me to the opposite side of the hall containing the stunning Nereid Monument, but through her broken English, she assured me I wasn’t about to meet my maker as she placed me in position in a crowd slowly forming a circle.
I’ve visited the British Museum in Bloomsbury, London countless number of times, but I’d never seen what was about to happen next. It took me a moment to realise the girl who’d been so insistent on taking my hand was not wearing any shoes, and then I noticed her attire, which probably wouldn’t have been amiss in ancient times. On spotting the topless young man, I realised that something was about to happen which would require a camera. What happened next was nothing like the surreal protest against the BP Oil Spill that hit the British Museum last week, but an unexpected dance performance in the space in front of the Nereid Monument.
Watch the slideshow to see photographs of the dance performance, which lasted for approximately 15 minutes and was nicely composed and synchronised. There was no music, but there didn’t need to be – the three dancers moved around with grace as the crowd looked on with wide smiles. The trio were very animated in their movement and interacted with the crowd as part of the dance routine, running up to the various people stood around and examining them in curiosity (including yours truly, who was a resting post for topless young man).
The trio finally settled on a young lady in a black dress who was then blindfolded and became part of the performance, worshipped by the trio of dancers as she demises to the ground before being slowly revived. As her shoes are returned to her, the trio discreetly disappeared before I could find out who they are or anything more about the performance.
Were you at the British Museum on Saturday afternoon and witness the performance in Room 17? Have you seen other improptu performances at the British Museum? Leave a comment below!