As we creep somewhat unwillingly into autumn and summer feels like a distant memory, we are keeping the vibrancy alive with the arrival of the internationally acclaimed musical, Taj Express at The Peacock this October!

The glitzy costumes, electrifying energy and breath-taking dance are sure to put the spring back in your step – Vaibhavi and Shruti Merchant’s spectacular Bollywood extravaganza is here to brighten up your seasonal blues!

Taj Express follows the story of Shankar, a struggling young composer paving the way for himself in the world’s most prolific film industry, following in the footsteps of his idol A.R. Rahman. Inspired by Shankar, and to get us in the mood, we are taking a look at some of our favourite Bollywood dance moments from the big screen…

WHEN YOU’RE ON A TRAIN AND ALL YOU WANT TO DO IS DANCE…

‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ (Dil Se, 1998)

In this fabulous 90’s Bollywood classic we see a spontaneous outbreak of dance atop a moving train! (We know what we’ve got planned for on our ride home…) The actor Shah Rukh Khan didn’t even use a safety harness whilst filming this scene! Written by the man himself, A.R.Rahman, this song also features in the opening sequence to the movie Inside Man (2006) starring Clive Owen and Denzel Washington.

WHEN YOU’RE SO GOOD YOU INSPIRED MOULIN ROUGE…

‘Chamma Chamma’ (China Gate, 1998)

This beautiful routine features an array of eye-catching Indian attire, including ‘jingling anklets’ worn by charismatic Bollywood star Urmila Matondkar, which she sings about in the Hindi lyrics. The tune was so popular it was remixed by Baz Luhrmann in his 2001 blockbuster hit Moulin Rouge!

WHEN YOUR WRATH TURNS YOU INTO A SNAKE…

‘Main Teri Dushman’ (Nagina, 1986)

We can’t get enough of the drama in this interpretive number – Sridevi, in the lead role, takes on the daunting task of portraying a shape-shifting venomous snake in this Bollywood cult classic. Apparently, Jaya Pradha was originally offered the lead role in this film which she turned down due to a fear of snakes!

WHEN DANCING TURNS A BLACK AND WHITE WORLD INTO COLOUR

‘Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya’ (Mughal-e-Azam, 1960)

The set’s the thing in this elegant number as Madhubala navigates an elaborate hall of mirrors in an exploration of forbidden love. This sudden splash of colour in a black and white film proves dance really can light up the darkest of days (and the limited budget meant they could only have two of the scenes in full technicolour)! Look out for the statue of Lord Krishna which was made from pure gold – no wonder it’s the most expensive Indian film ever made.

WHEN TWO DIVAS COLLIDE…

‘Dola Re Dola’ (Devdas, 2002)

We love a good old fashioned dance off! In this clip Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai treat us to Bollywood diva special as they do their very best to out-dance one another in this upbeat number (and look fabulous doing it!).

Taj Express runs at The Peacock from 2 – 20 Oct. Tickets are available from £15. To book, call the Ticket Office on 020 7863 8000 or book online.