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Rosie Kay’s “5 Soldiers”

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NORTH AMERICAN TOURING MARCH/APRIL 2019

 

In 2008, choreographer Rosie Kay joined the 4th Battalion The Rifles, to watch and participate in full battle exercises, and visited the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre for our Armed Forces. What came of these observations is this award-winning, five-star work.

Deeply realistic, stark and thrilling, 5 SOLDIERS offers no moral stance on war, but instead questions what it is that we ask of our soldiers and explores how the human body remains essential to war, even in the 21st century, with Kay’s trademark intense physical and athletic dance theatre.

 

“Lust, shock and awe… 5 SOLDIERS is a disturbing, illuminating and necessary glimpse into a world we mostly prefer to ignore” Judith Mackrell in The Guardian, Top 10 Dance of 2015

 

A moving, dramatic and unique work, based on military field research, exploring how the human body remains essential to war, even in the 21st century.

 

★★★★★ The Scotsman

“not only keeps us riveted,

but helps close the gap of

understanding between the

armed forces and the

general public.”

 

 

★★★★★ The Herald

“Rosie Kay’s five soldiers

are dancers, but in-depth

background researches

have grounded her moves

and their delivery in the

physicality, camaraderie

and mental challenges of

army life.

★★★★★ The Observer

"War from a female

perspective packs a

punch…taut, visceral,

compassionate”

 

Choreographer of the hit film Sunshine on Leith, Kay’s trademark style of intense physical and

athletic dance theatre has earned five star reviews, a nomination for Best Modern Choreography

in the National Dance Awards and topped the Best Dance of 2015 charts in The Observer, The

Guardian and The Independent.

 

“A very moving experience. I wasn’t expecting it to have that sort of effect on me. A clever and

evocative representation of combat presented in a medium that I never thought it could be

before.” General Sir Nick Parker, former Commander of the British Land Forces

  The Observer 18 for ’18: the talent and trends tipped for the top in 2018 - Observer writers on what to look forward to in the coming year “Harriet Ellis - Dance’s daring new talent: Cool of gaze, economical of movement, and as sharp and fast as a sparrowhawk, Ellis is a dancer for all seasons.  In 5 Soldiers she was punchy and taut-wired, her femininity and vulnerability locked tight inside herself.” https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/dec/31/18-for-18-the-talent-and-trends-tipped-for-the-top-in-2018    The Stage 2017: Best Opera and Dance of the year “And when I finally caught up with Rosie Kay’s Five Soldiers, which has been touring around the UK, it was as good as I had heard – a serious attempt to explore the effect of military training and combat on four men and a girl.” https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/2017/2017-best-opera-and-dance-of-the-year/    The Observer Best dance of 2017 “In these post-truth days, conspiracy theories abound. Choreographer Rosie Kay and film-maker Adam Curtis spotlit some of these in their hallucinatory MK Ultra, a danced decryption of the fantastical threads running through popular culture.” https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/dec/10/best-dance-2017-luke-jennings-review    Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards 2017 nominations: Best Independent Company Outstanding Female Performance (modern): Shelley Eva Haden in MK ULTRA http://dancetabs.com/2017/11/2017-national-dance-awards-announcement-of-nominations/  

Performances will be followed by a post-show discussion with local military representation where possible.

 

Performances can be preceded by a short dance work made by local community members in response to 5 SOLDIERS.

 

Age Guidance 12+ Parental guidance advised, contains some scenes of violence.

 

Duration: 60 mins (no interval)

 

CAST & CREATIVE TEAM

Choreographer & Director Rosie Kay

Producer James Preston

Dancers Duncan Anderson, Luke Bradshaw, Reece Causton, Harriet Ellis & Oliver Russell.

Set, Costume and Video Designer Louis Price

Composer Annie Mahtani

Dramaturg Ben Payne

Lighting Designer Mike Gunning

5 SOLDIERS 2017 trailer from Rosie Kay on Vimeo.

5 SOLDIERS Technical Rider

Xenos

Posted on by twoluck web support

XENOS

Creation

World Première Onassis Cultural Centre - Athens, 21 February 2018

Akram Khan is working on his much anticipated new opus, a solo inspired by Greek mythology that will mark his last performance as a dancer in a full-length production. Creative Team Akram has brought together a stellar creative team, and along with dramaturg Ruth Little, is developing ideas around the theme, which will focus on the First World War through the lens of the myth of Prometheus. German designer Mirella Weingarten will create the set, which will be lit by the award-winning lighting designer Michael Hulls. The costumes will be designed and made by costumier Kimie Nakano, and the score will be composed by Vincenzo Lamagna. Akram will be joined onstage by ve international musicians: percussionist B C Manjunath, vocalist Aditya Prakash, bass player Nina Harries, violinist Andrew Maddick, and saxophonist Tamar Osborn.

What makes us human?

Title & theme The title XENOS means ‘stranger’ or ‘foreigner’. Akram and his world-class team of collaborators will focus on the Prometheus story, that of the Titan who stole re and gave it to mankind, and through their interpretation of the myth will seek to express tales of loss, hope and redemption. Akram will also build upon his experience and research around the creation of the award-winning Dust for English National Ballet and will draw on speci c events from the First World War, exploring our connection with our past to our future, using the rich language of movement, light, and sound. Akram’s interest lies in both the mythological body and the technological body. As Akram himself writes: “I will investigate speci c questions that confront me more and more every day, like a shadow constantly following me, haunting me, whispering to me. How does ‘myth’ (like the Prometheus story) play a part in today’s society? What is its relevance to humankind? Does Prometheus or Zeus have a place in our global political arena today? Do we need to tell other people’s stories just in case they vanish? Who are the ‘other’ people? Are stories of human journeys told, retold, and told again, so we can eventually learn from our mistakes? Who are ‘we’, a collective or many individuals? What makes us human? Are we still human?”

‘But just as there is no re without fuel

they needed new strangers to burn

So they began making strangers of themselves’

Xenos by Jordan Tannahill

For his rebellion against Zeus, Prometheus was punished by being chained to a rock in the Caucasus, an eagle tearing daily at his liver. The theft of re from the gods marked the beginning of human domination of the planet by means of technology – a victory which bore such terrible fruit during the First World War. XENOS explores the central question at the heart of the myth – was Prometheus’ gift the blessing or the curse of mankind? By revisiting the classical Greek myth in the context of the most violent century in human history, XENOS reveals the beauty and horror of the human condition. At its centre is a colonial soldier, one of over 4 million men mobilised on behalf of the British empire. 1.5 million of these recruits were Indian, mostly peasant-warriors from North and North-Western India, and they fought and died in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. ‘This is not war’, wrote one wounded Indian sepoy. ‘It is the ending of the world. This is just such a war as was related in the Mahabharata’. Many sepoys were buried abroad, while for those who returned home, often mutilated and traumatised, another form of erasure followed, as their stories were interred in archives following the rise of Indian nationalism and the rejection of colonial rule. Estranged from their own histories, homelands, and countrymen, they became xenoi. The text for XENOS, by acclaimed Canadian playwright Jordan Tannahill, gives voice to the shell-shocked dream of a colonial soldier trapped in a trench, his body torn by shrapnel. To be human is to be made of mud, and to return to it. In a pool of re between life and death, the soldier rises from the earth as Prometheus, to shape mankind from clay and witness his triumph and destruction, and to challenge the will of his tormentor, Zeus. In Tannahill’s retelling, Prometheus is cursed by Zeus to return again and again to live among men as man, woman and child, to witness the cycle of suffering as well as the joy his gifts of re and knowledge have brought. His only possession is a wooden box – Pandora’s bitter legacy - from which all evil has own out into the world. Akram Khan’s movement language shifts between classical kathak and contemporary dance on Mirella Weingarten’s precipitous and symbolic set. His Prometheus is a warrior-trickster, victim-perpetrator, defying categories of duty, loyalty and gender. XENOS takes place on the border between East and West, past and present, mythology and technology, where humanity stands in wonder and disarray. XENOS is a portrait of Homo Deus brought back to his origins to be broken and remade, to meet himself as both stranger and friend. Prometheus means forethought. Among Prometheus’ gifts to humanity, whom he loved, according to Aeschylus, was the gift of art. Is art, and its capacity to hold a mirror to mankind and our possible futures, the small box in which hope and love remain? – Ruth Little, dramaturg
Artistic team & credits
Director/Choreographer/Performer Akram Khan Set Designer Mirella Weingarten Lighting Designer Michael Hulls Costume Designer Kimie Nakano Original Music Score composed by Vincenzo Lamagna Dramaturg Ruth Little Writer Jordan Tannahill Rehearsal Director Mavin Khoo Dancer Akram Khan Musicians Nina Harries, Andrew Maddick, B C Manjunath, Tamar Osborn, Aditya Prakash Producer Farooq Chaudhry Associate Producer Lindsey Dear Technical Director Richard Fagan Production Manager John Valente Stage Manager Marek Pomocki Lighting Engineer Stéphane Déjours Sound Engineer Julien Deloison Project/Tour Manager Mashitah Omar Props made by Louise Edge from LFX props & special fx
Commissioned by 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary Confirmed co-producers to date New Vision Arts Festival Hong Kong, Sadler’s Wells London, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Théâtre de la Ville Paris, Grec 2018 Festival de Barcelona, Adelaide Festival, Centro Cultural de Belém, Festspielhaus St. Pölten, Edinburgh International Festival, Concertgebouw Brugge, Espace des Arts Chalon-sur-Saône, HELLERAU – European Center for the Arts Dresden, manège scène nationale – reims, Onassis Cultural Centre – Athens, Festival Montpellier Danse 2018, Romaeuropa Festival, National Arts Centre Ottawa, Curve Leicester... Sponsored by COLAS Supported by Arts Council England Akram Khan is an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells London and Curve Leicester. Produced during residency at The Grange Festival, Hampshire and Onassis Cultural Centre – Athens.
Cover image by Nicol Vizioli  
Akram Khan
Artistic Director/Choreographer/Dancer
  Akram Khan is one of the most celebrated and respected dance artists today. In just over 17 years he has created a body of work that has contributed signi cantly to the arts in the UK and abroad. His reputation has been built on the success of imaginative, highly accessible and relevant productions such as Until the Lions, Kaash, iTMOi (in the mind of igor), DESH, Vertical Road, Gnosis and zero degrees. An instinctive and natural collaborator, Khan has been a magnet to world-class artists from other cultures and disciplines. His previous collaborators include the National Ballet of China, actress Juliette Binoche, ballerina Sylvie Guillem, choreographers/dancers Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Israel Galván, singer Kylie Minogue, visual artists Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormley and Tim Yip, writer Hanif Kureishi and composers Steve Reich, Nitin Sawhney, Jocelyn Pook and Ben Frost. Khan’s work is recognised as being profoundly moving, in which his intelligently crafted storytelling is effortlessly intimate and epic. Described by the Financial Times as an artist “who speaks tremendously of tremendous things”, a highlight of his career was the creation of a section of the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony that was received with unanimous acclaim. As a choreographer, Khan has developed a close collaboration with English National Ballet and its Artistic Director Tamara Rojo. He created the short piece Dust, part of the Lest We Forget programme, which led to an invitation to create his own critically acclaimed version of the iconic romantic ballet Giselle. Khan has been the recipient of numerous awards throughout his career including the Laurence Olivier Award, the Bessie Award (New York Dance and Performance Award), the prestigious ISPA (International Society for the Performing Arts) Distinguished Artist Award, the Fred and Adele Astaire Award, the Herald Archangel Award at the Edinburgh International Festival, the South Bank Sky Arts Award and six Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards. Khan was awarded an MBE for services to dance in 2005. He is also an Honorary Graduate of University of London as well as Roehampton and De Montfort Universities, and an Honorary Fellow of Trinity Laban. Khan is an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells, London and Curve, Leicester.
Mirella Weingarten
Set Designer
  After completing her studies in dramatic arts in London, Mirella Weingarten studied ne arts in Hamburg and Edinburgh, with teachers including Marina Abramovic. In 1998, she received a Masters degree in stage and costume design from the Slade School of Art in London. Since 1996, she has worked as a professional theatre designer and director for opera and dance theatre. After developing productions in the UK she returned to Germany. Then began a continuous extensive collaboration with Berlin Contemporary Opera, designing many of their award-winning productions. Her recent work as director and designer has been seen throughout Europe, including Lucerne Opera in Switzerland, Expo Zaragoza in Spain, Komische Oper Berlin, Salzburg Festival, as well as the Venice Biennale, Royal Opera House London, Theater Basel, Theater St. Gallen, Bolzano Opera and many others. Her works have been presented at the Art Festival Weimar, KKL Lucerne, Zurich, Berliner Festspiele, Holland Festival, the Leipzig Opera House, the Davos Festival and many other festivals. Since 2011, Mirella Weingarten has been the Artistic Director of the arts and music festival Schlossmediale Werdenberg in Switzerland, a festival for contemporary and early music and audiovisual art. Working with kinetic sculpture and moving objects and stages has characterized her work throughout the past years.   Michael Hulls
Lighting Designer
  Over the last 20 years Michael has worked exclusively in dance, particularly with choreographers Russell Maliphant and Akram Khan, and established a reputation as a “choreographer of light”. His collaborations with Russell Maliphant have won international critical acclaim and many awards: Sheer won a Time Out Award for Outstanding Collaboration, Choice won a South Bank Show Dance Award, PUSH, with Sylvie Guillem, won four major awards including the Olivier for Best New Dance Production and AfterLight won two Critics Circle awards. Michael and Russell also collaborated on Broken Fall, commissioned by BalletBoyz, which also featured Sylvie Guillem and won the 2004 Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production. Fallen, their most recent work for BalletBoyz, won the 2014 Critics Circle Award for Best Modern Choreography. In 2007, Michael and Russell’s work was the subject of BalletBoyz’s Channel 4 documentary Light and Dance and The Daily Telegraph hailed their collaboration as “possibly the most important creative partnership in modern British dance”. Eonnagata, Michael’s collaboration with Sylvie Guillem, Robert Lepage and Russell Maliphant, for which Michael won the 2009 Knight of Illumination Award for Dance, opened at Sadler’s Wells and, along with AfterLight, led to Michael being nominated for a second Knight of Illumination Award and for the 2010 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance. Michael has also worked with Akram Khan over many years, including on his full length solo DESH, winner of the 2012 Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production as well as In-i his duet with actress Juliette Binoche and TOROBAKA his collaboration with amenco virtuoso Israel Galvan. Most recently Michael lit Akram’s highly acclaimed Until the Lions. In 2009, Michael became an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells. In 2010, his contribution to dance was recognised with his entry into the Oxford Dictionary of Dance, as only the fourth lighting designer to be given an entry. In 2014 Michael received the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance, and in 2016 Michael created his LightSpace installation on the main stage at Sadler’s Wells, the rst ever show presented there without any performers, and was also awarded a second Knight of Illumination award for Conceal | Reveal, his 20th anniversary programme with Russell. Michael is currently working on light installations for the Lisbon Oceanarium and for Messum’s Gallery Wiltshire.
  Kimie Nakano
Costume Designer
  Kimie Nakano studied Literature at Musashino University in Tokyo, Theatre Costume at École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Techniques du Théâtre in Paris and obtained a Theatre Design MA at Wimbledon College of Art in London. Her designs for Akram Khan Company include: Vertical Road, Dust (English National Ballet’s Lest We Forget), iTMOi, TOROBAKA, Gnosis, Kaash, The Rashomon Effect (National Youth Dance Company), technê (choreographed for Sylvie Guillem, Life in Progress). During the course of her career, she has designed costumes for many international dance companies and choreographers, such as The Royal Ballet of Flanders, Rambert Dance Company, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, José Agudo and Van Huynh Dance Company. Kimie has also designed set and costumes for a number of opera, theatre and lm productions, including Dream Hunter, The Oslo Experiment, Michael Morpurgo’s Kensuke’s Kingdom and Macbeth. Kimie Nakano’s costume designs for iTMOi by Akram Khan Company were chosen by Prague Quadrennial 2015, a world theatre design exhibition held every four years, as well as by the V&A Make/Believe exhibition as part of the section British Design. Kimie strives to create intercultural projects for the stage, workshops and lms, to promote different world cultures.   Vincenzo Lamagna
Composer
  Vincenzo Lamagna is an Italian musician, composer and producer based in London. His music is known for its visceral, emotive and edgy language that utilises an unconventional hybrid of electro-orchestral sounds. As well as his solo work, Lamagna has carved a niche in the alternative contemporary dance world, where he has established himself as a major collaborator with some of the most acclaimed choreographers of this generation, Hofesh Shechter and Akram Khan. His most recent collaborations include Akram Khan’s award winning 21st-century adaptation of Giselle for the English National Ballet and Khan’s Until the Lions, which was premiered at the Roundhouse, London in 2016. His scores are a mercurial combination of acoustic and electronic music, recognised for their ferocious industrial undertones, haunted melodies and cinematic soundscapes.   Ruth Little
Dramaturg
  Ruth Little is a dance and theatre dramaturg, a teacher and writer. Her work has encompassed national arts organisations, remote rural communities, site-speci c production and large and small-scale exhibitions and expeditions. She lectured in English Literature at the University of Sydney, and was Literary Manager at Out of Joint, Soho Theatre, the Young Vic and the Royal Court. Ruth was Associate Director at Cape Farewell from 2010-2016. She is dramaturg with Akram Khan Company (Gnosis, Vertical Road, DESH, iTMOi, Dust, technê, Until the Lions, Giselle) and has worked with Banff Arts Centre, Sadlers Wells, English National Ballet, Northern Ballet, Spital elds
Festival, Barbican, National Theatre Connections, Fuel Theatre, Siobhan Davies Dance, Dance Umbrella, Le Patin Libre and many others. Winner of 2012 Kenneth Tynan Award for dramaturgy. Publications include The Young Vic Book (Methuen, 2004), The Royal Court Theatre Inside Out (Oberon, 2007); The Slow Art of Contemporary Expedition: Islandings (in Expedition, University of the Arts, 2012), Art, Place, Climate: Situated Ethics (In Art and Ethics, Springer, 2014), War in the Body (La Monnaie/de Munt, 2014), The Meteorological Body (In Imaginative Bodies: Dialogues in Performance Practices, Valiz, 2016).   Jordan Tannahill
Writer
  Jordan Tannahill is a Canadian playwright, author, and director based in London. He has been described in the press as ‘the hottest name in Canadian theatre’ (Montreal Gazette) and ‘the posterchild of a new generation for whom ‘interdisciplinary’ is not a buzzword but a way of life’ (The Globe and Mail). He won the Governor General’s Award for Drama in 2014 for Age of Minority and was shortlisted for the prize again in 2016 for Concord Floral. His lms and multimedia performances have been presented at various festivals and galleries such as the Toronto Int. Film Festival, the British Film Institute, and the Tribeca Film Festival. From 2012 - 2016 he and William Ellis ran the in uential artspace Videofag out of their home in Kensington Market. His 2015 book Theatre of the Unimpressed sits on the curriculum of theatre programs across North America and the UK and rst novel, Liminal, is forthcoming from House of Anansi Press. Jordan is currently working on a commission for the National Theatre and the lm adapation of his play Botticelli in the Fire with lmmaker Stephen Dunn. His play Late Company transferred from the Finborough Theatre to the West End in August 2017.   Nina Harries
Musician - double bass
  Nina Harries studied classical double bass at the Royal College of Music under Enno Sent of the London Sinfonietta, graduating in July 2016 and specialising in contemporary classical music. She performs extensively for a host of artists including Symphonica Featuring DJ Switch, The Burning Glass, John Fairhurst Trio as well as the opera company workshOpera and contemporary classical music ensemble Echoshed. She also earned a place in The London Sinfonietta Academy in July 2017. Aside from ensemble work, Nina is a soloist and songwriter, incorporating theatre, cabaret and comedy and captivating audiences with original songs and commissions exploring the relationship between the double bass and voice. Her solo work has earned her performances at Glastonbury Festival 2016, the English Folk Expo 2017 and OMNI Fete 2017 in Luxembourg.   Andrew Maddick
Musician - violin & viola
  Andrew is a freelance musician based in Australia and Europe. He was principal violinist for Kinky Boots (Brisbane, 2017), the Opera Australia productions of The Sound of Music (Brisbane, 2016) and The King & I (Brisbane, 2014) and the Tim Finn musical Ladies in Black (QTC, 2017 & 2015). In London he performed in the National Theatre production of Revenger’s Tragedy (2008) and the Sam Mendes directed Cherry Orchard at the Old Vic (2009). Andrew has performed with Hans Zimmer (2017), The Whitlams (2017), Sting (If On A Winter’s Night DVD & 2009 Europe tour), Paolo Nutini (Sunny Side Up LP & 2010 tour), Missy Higgins (2014), Katie Noonan (2013), Smokey
Robinson, George Benson, Nigel Kennedy and Katherine Jenkins (BBC Radio Cymru live). With the Hofesh Shechter Dance Company he was a principal musician from 2009 until 2015, touring In Your Rooms and Political Mother to international arts festivals including Paris, Melbourne, Berlin, Seoul, Montreal, Los Angeles and Tokyo. He has been the principal violinist for The Bootleg Beatles since 2007 and performed at Glastonbury Festival with them in 2013. As an orchestral violinist he was a member of Orchestra of The Swan, UK (2005 - 2011) and the English Symphony Orchestra (2005 - 2010). In 2016 he toured Australia with the Cologne Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra.   B C Manjunath
Musician – mridanga
  Manjunath revealed an innate musical talent even as a young boy and he imbibed the best in Carnatic Talavadya from his parents. Later he enlarged this musical perspective by training in Mridanga under Karnataka Kalashree K N Krishna Murthy and Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sri T.K.Murthy. Manjunath’s creative impulses have owered in various forms, from solo and ensemble performances, contemporary classical, modern jazz and Indian classical. He has accompanied many greats from India and abroad, including Sangeetha Kalaratna, Sri R R Keshavamurthy, Sangeetha Kalaratna Sri H P Ramachar, Mysore M Nagaraj and Dr. Mysore M Manjunath (aka Mysore Brothers), Dr. Suma Sudhindra and Chitraveena N Ravikiran. He has also shared the stage with international legends like Kani Karaca (Turkish Su singer) and Robin Eubanks (Trombone genius). He has worked with composers Rafael Reina, Riccardo Nova, members of Bhedam, Conservatorium of Amsterdam, The Karnatic Lab Festival, Zagreb Music Biennale, Fabrica Italy, Santander Percussion Festival (Spain), Perth International Festival, Romaeuropa Festival, Milano Musica/John Cage Festival, Ictus Ensemble (Belgium), Quintetto Bibiena (Italy) and Het Nederlands Fluit Orkest. Selected for the prestigious USTAD BISMILLAH KHAN YUVA PURASKAR award for the year 2012, Manjunath also received the highest recognition for youth in the eld of ne arts from CENTRAL SANGEETH NATAK ACADEMI of India. For two years, Manjunath toured with Akram Khan Company’s 2004 production ma, performing in 175 shows. He continued to work on several Company pieces including Gnosis in 2009 and TOROBAKA in 2015.   Tamar Osborn
Musician - saxophone & clarinet
  Saxophonist and multi-wind player, Tamar graduated from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in 2000. A strong classical background complemented by jazz studies has enabled her to perform in many genres and many different contexts in her professional career. A member of the Dele Sosimi Afrobeat Orchestra since 2009, she has also performed and recorded with, amongst others, Kelis, Van Morrison, Billy Ocean, tabla maestro Tanmoy Bose in India, the acclaimed production of Fela! at the National Theatre & Sadler’s Wells (London) and Africa Express (an on-going series of collaborative concerts between African and western musicians including artists such as Tony Allen, Baaba Maal, Rokia Traore, and Fatoumata Diawara). She runs her own creative project Collocutor, for which she is bandleader, composer and performer. Collocutor released their debut album ‘Instead’ in 2014 and second album ‘The Search’ in 2017. Aside from Collocutor and the Dele Sosimi Afrobeat Orchestra, she currently performs and records most regularly with Sarathy Korwar, the Hackney Colliery Band, The Fontanelles, Emanative, Jessica Lauren’s Naga Five and The Organic Jam DJ & musician collective.  
Aditya Prakash
Musician - vocalist
  Aditya Prakash is an award-winning Indian classical vocalist and composer, best known for his powerful and emotive voice. Although rmly rooted in South Indian classical (Carnatic) music, which he studied under venerated Gurus in Chennai, his style is heavily inspired by North Indian classical music, Su music, jazz, and hip hop, which he brings out in his collaborative cross-over genre projects. Aditya has had the rare fortune of performing, touring and working with Sitar Maestro, Pandit Ravi Shankar, since the age of 16. Aditya toured with Ravi Shankar and Anoushka Shankar, as the lead vocalist in Ravi Shankar’s “Festival of India III” ensemble, taking him to the most prestigious venues across the USA, Canada and Europe. Aditya has collaborated with leading names such as Karsh Kale, Anoushka Shankar and Salim Merchant to name a few. Aditya is the founder of the acclaimed performing group Aditya Prakash Ensemble, which creates original compositions inspired from the styles of Indian classical, folk, jazz, funk, and hip hop. Aditya has been performing classical Carnatic vocal concerts since the age of 13 and has performed solo concerts at prominent venues throughout the world. While pursuing an Ethnomusicology degree from UCLA (University of California Los Angeles) , Aditya studied composition and performance under award-winning musicians such as Tamir Hendelman, Kenny Burrell and Shujaat Khan. Aditya continues his training with advanced mentorship in Carnatic music under reputable musicians – T. M . Krishna and R. K. Shriramkumar – while receiving rm grounding under legendary Gurus – Sri P.S. Narayanaswami and Sri Palai Ramachandran.
Akram Khan Company “Xenos” (PDF)

Borderline

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© AGATHE POUPENEY

Borderline

“The contemporary dance revolution is taking place. And dancers like Sébastien Ramirez and Honji Wang are on the frontlines.” L’Indépendant

“It isn’t enough for Borderline to just be awesome to watch. It opens itself up like hip-hop knows how to do.” Le Monde

Borderline marks a turning point in Sébastien Ramirez and Honji Wang’s research and choreographic language. The dance expands in a dialogue between technique and the art of rigging, while the reflection on human relationships now includes the reality of living together in our democracies. Social boundaries are evoked by the interplay of physical forces on the stage as well as through testimonies - collected from the dancers’ friends and relatives, or from the media, and broadcasted in voice over. The rigging element, a scenic tool notorious as Deus Ex Machina in the Greek tragedy, allows us to approach weightlessness to create a timeless poetics. In the interaction with the rigger, the body becomes the object of a “weight game”, of balance and freedom. Attached to cables, the five dancers bring to light and transpose the desire of freedom inherent in all forms of dance, especially Hip Hop. With a wealth of experience in levitation, Hip Hop discovers new ways to thwart gravity in its virtuosity of footwork. The gestures and the costumes create images that reflect Greek and Korean traditions in animality, as well as in our desires and angsts. Between the promise of freedom and the violence of keeping our bodies on the ground, is a space allowing the invention of a new gestural approach. With great fluidity, the piece displays accents of acrobatics, visual poetry and the urban universe. It extends to the ground where the gravitational borderlines shift horizontally, in a mobile scenography that continues to evolve throughout the performance. Video link: https://vimeo.com/79555677 Artistic direction & choreography: Wang Ramirez Performers: Louis Becker, Johanna Faye or Christine Joy Alpuerto Ritter, Kai Gaedtke, Mustapha Saïd Lehlouh or Mehdi Baki, Sébastien Ramirez, Honji Wang Rigging development: Jason Oettlé and Kai Gaedtke Composition: Jean-Philippe Barrios with the participation of: Christophe Isselee and the voices of: Chung-Won Wang and Henri Ramirez Mercat de les Flors Barcelone (in the frame of creation residencies at Graner) Act'art – Conseil général de Seine-et-Marne Centre Chorégraphique National de Créteil et du Val-de-Marne / Company Käfig TANZtheater INTERNATIONAL, Hannover Support Conseil régional Languedoc-Roussillon Préfecture de région du Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi- Pyrénées, Direction régionale des affaires culturelles Conseil départemental des Pyrénées Orientales Montpellier Danse, residency at Agora, cité internationale de la danse Thanks to Centre Culturel Jacques Prévert à Villeparisis for the creation residency. HAU – Hebbel am Ufer for the research possibilities in Berlin. With the support of Montpellier Danse, residency at Agora, cité internationale de la danse. The original soundtrack of Borderline is available on lacrymoboy.bandcamp.com and on iTunes (artist: lacrymoboy). Light design and technical direction: Cyril Mulon Dramaturgical collaboration: Catherine Umbdenstock Set design: Paul Bauer Costume realization: Anna Ramirez Executive production: Company Wang Ramirez, Clash66 Co-production Théâtre de l'Archipel, scène nationale de Perpignan (in the frame of a creation residency) Théâtre de la Ville, Paris Parc de La Villette, Paris Initiatives d'Artistes en Danses Urbaines (Fondation de France – Parc de la Villette with the support of Caisse des Dépôts and Acsé) Company Wang Ramirez - Clash66 receives a company support by Ministry of Culture, Regional council of Occitanie / Pyrénées-Méditerranée and the County council Pyrénées Orientales. The company receives the support of Foundation BNP Paribas for the development of its projects. Sébastien Ramirez & Honji Wang are associated artists of Théâtre de l’Archipel, scène nationale de Perpignan for the seasons 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17. www.wangramirez.com  www.facebook.com/WangRamirez Borderline HD from 2Luck Concepts on Vimeo. borderline-slider1

Monchichi

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Monchichi

“The language that bridges their differences, though, isn’t some blend of ballet and breaking. It’s an outgrowth of hip-hop.” The New York Times

“It’s quite simply Tanztheater at its best, “living poetry”, with thoughtful images and humorous skits. The debate on immigration and cultural diversity needs exactly this type of contribution to remove the tension” Tanz

“A brilliant duo where humor surprises us in the midst of movement.”

L’Indépendant

The bedrock piece by duo Wang Ramirez creates a portrait of a new, urban, mobile and intercultural generation. Here, they choose their artistic language as freely as their life partner even if he/she speaks a foreign language... or several. Dance is their language, but so are words. Sébastien, French with Spanish origins crosses choreographic paths with Honji, born in Frankfurt to Korean parents. Because in this open-minded world, everyone can be a cultural mix with blended origins. Honji brings suppleness and Asian musicality to her movement, and Sébastien brings his Mediterraneanvivacity. Together,theytackleMonchichiastheyconstructtheirlifetogether–in perfect balance between masculine and feminine. Their dance puts its virtuosity at the service of a quest for truth where nothing is left to conceal doubt or the difficulties in communicating, let alone the joys of togetherness. In the end, Monchichi is a piece full of humor and self-deprecation, a joint self-portrait that testifies daily life with as much humor as poetry. Video link: https://vimeo.com/141038497   Artistic direction, conception, choreography, dance: Wang Ramirez Dramaturgy: Vincent Rafis Light design: Cyril Mulon Set design: Ida Ravn Costumes: Honji Wang Composer: Ilia Koutchoukov aka Everydayz /+∞ Arrangement: Fabien Biron Additional music: Carlos Gardel, Alva Noto, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis Executive production: Company Wang Ramirez, Clash66 Co-production Tanzhaus NRW Düsseldorf Communauté de Communes de la Région Lézignanaise Support Conseil régional Languedoc-Roussillon Préfecture de région du Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi- Pyrénées, Direction régionale des affaires culturelles Hebbel am Ufer – HAU, Berlin Hauptstadtkulturfonds – Senat Berlin Casa Musicale Perpignan Association Départementale de Développement de la Musique et de la Danse de l'Aude Réseau en Scène Languedoc-Roussillon Thanks to Dansens Hus Stockholm Act'art – Conseil général de Seine-et-Marne Le Théâtre*/Scène Nationale de Narbonne Initiatives d'Artistes en Danses Urbaines (Fondation de France – Parc de la Villette with the support of Caisse des Dépôts et l'Acsé) Company Wang Ramirez - Clash66 receives a company support by Ministry of Culture, Regional council of Occitanie / Pyrénées-Méditerranée and the County council Pyrénées Orientales. The company receives the support of Foundation BNP Paribas for the development of its projects. Sébastien Ramirez & Honji Wang are associated artists of Théâtre de l’Archipel, scène nationale de Perpignan for the seasons 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17. www.wangramirez.com www.facebook.com/WangRamirez Monchichi from 2Luck Concepts on Vimeo.

Until the Lions

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AKRAM KHAN COMPANY - UNTIL THE LIONS

North American Touring – 13 Nov – 16 Dec 2017

(This production will not feature Akram Khan)


“Lean, thrilling and beautiful” ***** The Guardian


“breathtaking theatricality” **** The Stage


Until the Lions, the latest work from Akram Khan, is a dream-like tale of identity and revenge, piling up hypnotic images” The Independent, London


“As in many myths, the female characters are often the unsung heroes, the figures of strength and imagination and endurance. It is their unsung stories in particular that still haunt me today.”

Akram Khan


In this partial adaptation of poet Karthika Naïr’s book Until the Lions: Echoes from the Mahabharata, an original reworking of the epic Mahabharata, Khan uses kathak and contemporary dance to tell the tale of Amba, a princess abducted on her wedding day and stripped of her honour, who invokes the gods to seek revenge. Bringing together some of the original team from his acclaimed solo DESH, Khan wants to explore the notion and the physical expression of gender.


ARTISTIC TEAM

 

Director/Choreographer/Performer Akram Khan

Narrative Concept, Scenario, Text Karthika Naïr

Visual Design Tim Yip

Lighting Design Michael Hulls

Composer Beautiful Noise (Vincenzo Lamagna)

Dramaturg Ruth Little

Assistant Director Sasha Milavic Davies

Assistant Choreographer Jose Agudo

Voice over Kathryn Hunter

Technical Producer Sander Loonen

Producer Farooq Chaudhry

Dancers Akram Khan

Ching-Ying Chien, Christine Joy Ritter

Musicians Sohini Alam, David Azurza Yaron Engler 

Vincenzo Lamagna


Co-produced by Roundhouse/Sadler’s Wells London, MC2: Grenoble, La Comète Châlons-‐en-‐ Champagne, Théâtre de la Ville Paris, Danse Danse/TOHU Montréal, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, New Vision Arts Festival Hong Kong, Taipei Performing Arts Center, Movimentos Festwochen Wolfsburg, Brighton Festival 2016, Maison de la Culture d'Amiens, Concertgebouw Brugge, Holland Festival Amsterdam, Romaeuropa Festival, Curve Leicester


Sponsored by COLAS, Supported by Arts Council England


UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL TOUR DATES

3 – 5 Nov 2016: Curve Theatre, Leicester, UK

1 Dec 2016: Concertgebouw, Bruges, Belgium

5 – 17 Dec 2016: La Villette, France (presented by Theatre de la Ville)

20-21 Jan 2017: Les Theatres de la Ville, Luxembourg City, Luxemburg


AWARDS

Akram Khan

•Akram Khan – Critics’ Circle National Dance Award 2012 for Best Male Dancer (DESH), UK; ISPA Distinguished Artist Award, New York 2011

•Dust (English National Ballet’s Lest We Forget) – Critics’ Circle National Dance Award 2014 for Best Modern Choreography, UK

•DESH – Olivier Award 2012 for Best New Dance Production, UK; Bessie Award (New York Dance and Performance Award) 2014 for Outstanding Production

•Vertical Road – Critics' Circle National Dance Award 2011 for Best Modern Choreography, UK; Danza & Danza Award 2010 for Best Performance, Bolzano; The Age Critics Award 2010 for Best New Work, Melbourne Arts Festival

•Gnosis – South Bank Sky Arts Award 2011 in Dance, UK; Herald Archangel Award 2014 at the Edinburgh International Festival

Chotto Desh

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CHOTTO DESH – AKRAM KHAN COMPANY

US Touring October 2017

(This production will feature Dennis Alamanos or Nicolas Ricchini not Akram Khan)

“An absolute triumph” The Scotsman*****

“Chotto Desh combines dance and theatre to magical effect (… will captivate an audience of any age.” The Stage ****

“Superbly executed, this is a fantastic introduction to the magic of theatre and dance and, even when the narrative was less obvious, the younger members of the audience remained entranced. EdinburghGuide****

AKCT (the charity founded by choreographer Akram Khan) presents a new dance theatre production Chotto Desh, based on Khan’s internationally acclaimed solo DESH (2011). An adaptation of the original, Chotto Desh is directed by Sue Buckmaster of Theatre-Rites for young audiences aged 7+ years and their families and tells the universal story of one young man trying to find his balance in an unstable world.

Chotto Desh, meaning ‘small homeland’ in Bengali, is a deeply personal exploration of the power of the human spirit in the face of natural adversity and investigates the impact that cultural identity can have on us whilst comgrowing up. Drawing from Khan’s unique quality of storytelling, Chotto Desh’s inventive use of dance, text, sound and visuals will create a dreamlike magical world that will offer young audiences an early life artistic experience that is both relevant and enriching. Sue Buckmaster says: “Chotto Desh is very pertinent right now as our young people are experiencing increased pressure associated with a multicultural society. It will inspire children to think about their own stories and perhaps make their own autobiographical art full of truth and beauty.”

Further information:

Artistic Team

Artistic Direction and Original Choreography Akram Khan

Direction and Adaptation Sue Buckmaster (Theatre-Rites)

Assistant Choreographer / Rehearsal Director Jose Agudo

Rehearsal Director Amy Butler

Dancers Dionysios Alamanos, Nicolas Ricchini

Music Composition Jocelyn Pook

Original Visual Design Tim Yip

Lighting Design Guy Hoare

Visual Adaptation by Sander Loonen (Arp Theatre)

Stories imagined by Karthika Naïr and Akram Khan

Written by Karthika Naïr, PolarBear and Akram Khan

Visual Animation created by Yeast Culture

Costume Designer Kimie Nakano

Costume Maker Martina Trottmann

Producer Claire Cunningham on behalf of AKCT

Chotto Desh is co-commissioned by MOKO Dance, Sadler's Wells, London,

DanceEast, Stratford Circus Arts, Maison de la Danse / Biennale de la Danse de

Lyon, Mercat de les Flors Barcelona and Akram Khan Company. Produced by AKCT.

International Tour Dates Fall 2016

Edinburgh International Festival

13 - 14 August 2016

LUX Scène Nationale, Valence, France

23 September 2016

Espace Albert Camus, Bron, France

27 September 2016

Maison de la Danse, Lyon, France

30 September - 5 October 2016

La Comédie de Clermont, Clermont-Ferrand, France

7 - 9 October 2016 

Théâtre de Villefranche, Villefranche-sur-Saone, France

12 October 2016

The New Victory Theater, New York, NY

4 - 13 November 2016

Théâtre des Abbesses / presented by Théâtre de la Ville, Paris, France

21 December 2016 - 6 January 2017

About Akram Khan (artistic direction and choreography for original production)

Akram Khan is one of the most celebrated and respected dance artists today. In just over a decade he has created a body of work that has contributed significantly to the arts in the UK and abroad. His reputation has been built on the success of imaginative, highly accessible and relevant productions such as DESH, iTMOi, Vertical Road, Gnosis and zero degrees.

An instinctive and natural collaborator, Khan has been a magnet to world-class artists from other  cultures and disciplines. His previous collaborators include the National Ballet of China, actress Juliette Binoche, ballerina Sylvie Guillem, choreographer/dancer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, singer Kylie Minogue, visual artists Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormley and Tim Yip, writer Hanif Kureishi and composers

Steve Reich, Nitin Sawhney, Jocelyn Pook and Ben Frost. Khan’s work is recognised as being profoundly moving, in which his intelligently crafted storytelling is effortlessly intimate and epic. Described by the Financial Times as an artist "who speaks tremendously of tremendous things", a recent highlight of his career was the creation of a section of the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony that was received with unanimous acclaim. 

Khan is an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells, London.

About Sue Buckmaster (direction and adaptation)

Sue is the Artistic Director of Theatre-Rites and the fourth generation of theatre practitioners in her family. She has many years of experience as a director, puppetry specialist and teacher, and has worked with a wide variety of companies including the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Young Vic and Complicite. In 2015, as well as directing Chotto Desh she will create Beasty Baby; a co-production

between Polka Theatre and Theatre-Rites for 3 to 6 year olds, which will run from October 2015 to January 2016.

Chotto-Desh-AkramKhan

Rising

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Aakash Odedra Company

RISING

NORTH AMERICAN TOURING 11 April – 5 May, 2018

“British Indian dancer Aakash Odedra is simply breathtaking.” Paula Citron, Globe and Mail, Toronto

Aakash Odedra is a nominee for a 2016 “Bessie” in the category of “Outstanding Performer” for RISING at the Skirball Center in New York.

The first production of Aakash Odedra Company, RISING, is an astonishing hit. It is an evening of work performed by Aakash, featuring solos created by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Akram Khan and Russel Maliphant and features lighting by Michael Hulls and Michael Cessa.

All use Aakash’s background in Kathak and Bharatanatyam to create  a  new  flavor of contemporary dance. Aakash also presents a contemporary Kathak with his own choreography. The production has won numerous awards including   the ‘Danza e Danza Award’ (Italy), Best Male Performance ‘Dora Award’ (Canada), ‘Audience Award’ at Dance Week (Croatia) and ‘Most Original Exploration of One Segment of Theatrical Language’ at the Novi-Sad Festival (Serbia).

BIOGRAPHY

Aakash-by-Chris-Nash

Aakash was born in Birmingham and trained in the classical Indian dance styles of Kathak (Nilima Devi, Leicester and Asha Joglekar, India) and Bharat Natyam (Chitraleka Bolar, Birmingham and Chhaya Kantaveh, India). His early development in the United Kingdom saw support from Sampad (including support in a development bursary) and Akademi (through a major choreographic bursary).

In 2009, Aakash performed a solo choreographed by Kumudini Lakhia titled Maati Re at the Svapngata Festival at Sadler’s Wells curated by Akram Khan. Khan followed this with a period of mentorship, allowing Aakash to develop contemporary movement. He took part in the European Network of Performing Arts’ 2010 ChoreoLab in Serbia through Dance Umbrella. Also in 2010, he performed a duet with Sanjukta Sinha choreographed by Kumudini Lakhia titled Tatha. He incorporates that training in a unique synthesis with contemporary dance, both in his choreography and his creations with other choreographers.

Aakash Odedra founded his Company in 2011 as a vehicle for commissioning solos and for him to develop his own choreographic work. His debut full length solo Rising featured new short works created on him by Akram Khan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Russell Maliphant. As choreographer, he was commissioned to create a piece for “James  Brown: Get on the Good Foot” (Apollo Theater, New York ) and the Opera God’s Little Soldier (Theater Freiburg), The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the closing of the London Cultural Olympiad. 

Nritta (Kathak) – Choreographed by Aakash Odedra

Music arranged by Aakash Odedra

In The Shadow Of Man – choreographed by Akram Khan

Lighting by Michael Hulls

Music by Jocelyn Pook

Rehearsal Directors Jose Agudo and Lewis Major

CUT – choreographed by Russell Maliphant

Lighting by Michael Hulls

Music by Andy Cowton

Rehearsal Director Lewis Major

Constellation – choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui

Lighting by Willy Cessa

Music by Olga Wojciechowska

Rehearsal Directors Paul Zivkovich and Lewis Major

ADDITIONAL ACTIVIES:

Kathak workshops

Contemporary dance workshops

Torobaka

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TOROBAKA

AKRAM KHAN AND ISRAEL GALVÁN




Akram Khan

“His dancing is mercurial, his characters superbly realized.”

The Independent, UK


Israel Galván

“A dancer ahead of his time, that’s for sure, as no one has ever danced this way.” El País, Spain




“Torobaka is a cultural “dance collision” of traditional kathak and flamenco with the celebrated Israel Galvan and Akram Khan. While neither can be considered ‘pure’ in their approach, they are arguably the most charismatic performers of their chosen native dance forms, which are at once distinct and deeply historically linked.

Kathak and Flamenco come together on the same stage in a showcase of virtuosity.  With six musicians they will explore the similarities in their dance and, seeking to learn from each other, bring us a thrilling clash of cultures.


Created and Performed by

Israel Galván and Akram Khan

 

Music Arranged and Performed by

David Azurza, B C Manjunath or Bernhard Schimpelsberger, Bobote, Christine Leboutte

 

Lighting Designer

Michael Hulls

 

Costume Designer

Kimie Nakano

 

Sound

Pedro León

 

Rehearsal Director

Jose Agudo

 

Production Coordinator

Amapola López

 

Production Manager

Sander Loonen

 

Technical Coordinator

Pablo Pujol



Producers

Farooq Chaudhry & Bia Oliveira (Khan Chaudhry Productions) and

Chema Blanco & Cisco Casado (A Negro Producciones)

 

Co-produced by

MC2: Grenoble, Sadler’s Wells London, Mercat de les Flors Barcelona, Théâtre de la Ville Paris, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Festival Montpellier Danse 2015, Onassis Cultural Centre - Athens, Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay Singapore, Prakriti Foundation, Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam / Flamenco Biënnale Nederland, Concertgebouw Brugge, HELLERAU – European Center for the Arts Dresden, Festspielhaus St. Pölten, Romaeuropa Festival

 

Sponsored by COLAS


Produced during residency at Mercat de les Flors Barcelona and MC2: Grenoble

 

Supported by Arts Council England



Israel Galván is an Associate Artist of Théâtre de la Ville Paris and Mercat de les Flors Barcelona

Akram Khan is an Associate Artist of Sadler's Wells London, and formerly an associate artist of MC2: Grenoble (2011-2014) when TOROBAKA was created



World Premiere: MC2: Grenoble, France, 2 June 2014

Spanish Premiere: XXXI Festival de Otoño a Primavera, Madrid, 27 June 2014

UK Premiere: Sadler's Wells Theatre, London, 3 November 2014


Akram Khan; Israel Galván; Khan; Galván; the very euphony of their names sets the scene. Dance before it became art. This transition, this intermediary space, this interstice is where they operate.

This is not, of course, an ethnic exchange between traditions, an exercise in global dance. It is about creating something from a way of understanding dance – derived, certainly, from dancing kathak and flamenco – that harks back to the origins of voice and of gesture, before they began to produce meaning. Mimesis rather than mimicry.

The hunter, lost in the countryside, imitates the gait of the animal he has come to hunt. Words are yet to be defined, guttural sounds which are understood almost as if they were orders, acts of command. Every part of the body is expressive, movements are read, they have a function. Torobaka!

Nor is there any need for primitivism. In one of the rehearsals Khan and Galván grappled with Toto-vaca, a Maori-inspired phonetic poem by Tristan Tzara. It was automatic. The bull (toro) and the cow (vaca), sacred animals in the dancers’ two traditions, but united, profaned (in the original sense of the word, to restore things to their common use), in an unconstrained dadaist poem.

Israel Galván and Akram Khan. This is what it is about, dancing without compromise and for the audience to go on perceiving it as art. 

Pedro G. Romero, January 2014


Texts from Israel Galván and Akram Khan, May 2014

Master, you have shown us unfamiliar images and rhythms, a new world that I now recognise as kathak. There are poisons that heal, and kathak is one of these remedies. I have it nestled within my body.

Master, sometimes we must move forward, go faster and then stop suddenly. Gandhi, perhaps, knew that by standing still we more easily see the world than people who are always moving.

Master, I came prepared for a cockfight, the snake and the weasel, and we have become monks, two holy men in a secluded monastery of dance.

Master, I have found a brother, one and only, unique. Maybe people won't like our steps, but I have learnt so much. What matters is the process. I hope that each of our thousands of hours of rehearsals, and the work together, can be seen. I hope that all that we put into the show can be seen, and the rest too, all that we have removed. What is and what is not: everything is important.

—Israel Galván


Dancing beside Israel is like dancing next to a sublime storyteller of rhythms, not rhythms of the past, but rhythms of the future. I have gained so much insight into flamenco through Israel. He has opened my eyes into how and what is possible with flamenco: how one can deconstruct it, transform it and recreate it, in order to form new stories. After all, stories are what help us make sense of the world. 

I think the simplest way to describe our process together is to imagine if fragrance was created before the flower that contains it, that's how our ideas developed on this wonderful journey. At first we created smells, colours, sketches, then together, with the musicians, lighting designer, sound designer, costume designer, rehearsal director and many others, we finally encapsulated it in the body of a theme: TOROBAKA. 

—Akram Khan


Texts from Israel Galván and Akram Khan, early 2013 before starting the creation – first thoughts on what would become TOROBAKA

The Dancing Bodies of Anarchy

Tradition is like oxygen during the day, and during the night it is carbon dioxide. I would say that is the simplest way I could think of to illustrate what Israel and I do, with our respective traditions. For Israel, flamenco would be his tradition, and my oxygen would be kathak.

For many years now, I have been hungry to create a space where these respective traditions can co-exist with each other to create a new dynamic dance... But the reason I held back was simply because I was not excited to revisit what so many other artists before us have attempted, which is to simply illustrate a

connection between the two traditions.

How do we break the mould or the tradition from within? Only when I finally witnessed Israel perform, did I realize that he was the artist I was waiting for to travel on this journey of discovery and anarchy… (After all, anarchy is sometimes necessary to remind tradition to update itself.)

— Akram Khan


In Gestation

My mother danced in flamenco venues in Seville until the seventh month of her pregnancy. She was pregnant with me, I was inside.

I grew up dancing with my parents and I developed an almost religious respect towards flamenco.

I had a master whose name was Mario Maya. When I watched him for the first time I became completely amazed by new things that I had never contemplated before.

When I was training with Akram in Paris, he reminded me of my master. I asked Akram to choreograph some dance steps typical of my master. Akram picked up the steps perfectly, he felt confident with them and I could see a young Mario. The way Akram communicates whilst moving was very dear to me.

I dance barefoot but the borderline between us are my boots with toes and heels.

He told me once that when he dances, it is like giving a present to the audience. As a dancer I inherit the idea of killing the audience in order to avoid them killing me.

I think that Akram grew up believing in lots of gods. My family taught me to believe in one.

I would like to meet many of his gods and thank the audience while I dance.

— Israel Galván

Kaash

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AKRAM KHAN COMPANY 

Kaash

Kaash-AkramKhan

Akram Khan’s first major US touring work in 2003, “Kaash” which in Hindi means “what if”, explores Shiva’s cosmic violence, his meditative nature and the eternal cycle of creation and destruction which he initiates. Score by Nitin Sawhney and set by the sculptor Anish Kapoor.

Full length dance work for 5 dancers. 

Touring company of 13

Previous day set up

"..(Kaash is) epic, deeply focused and grandly beautiful…" - Ismene Brown, The Daily Telegraph

“Turner Prize winning sculptor Anish Kapoor (with lighting designer Aideen Malone) produced a fascinating set, a hypnotic colour field that seemed to exert a physical pull on the audience, drawing us inexorably into the depths of space. Nitin Sawhney's pounding, driving, rhythmic score was equally powerful, punching you in the solar plexus and making your bones vibrate.” The Evening Standard

“It is like watching the aftermath of the Big Bang, with Khan’s choreography as the fallout.”, The Guardian

“Khan's barefoot choreography, for himself and four other dancers, bursts out of the starting gate faster than a bullet, arms powering the dancers' bodies like competitive swimmers heading for the finish line. The choreography strives for perfection and rigour, building its absolutes with regimental precision.” The Times of London

iTMOi

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iTMOi

AKRAM KHAN COMPANY

Available for touring in North America - 10 Oct – 16 Nov, 2014

Following its world premiere at MC2: Grenoble last Spring and a sold-out run at Sadler's Wells (London), Akram's latest creation iTMOi embarked on an international tour.

Celebrating Igor Stravinsky and his legendary Rite of Spring, the piece features an original score by Nitin Sawhney, Jocelyn Pook and Ben Frost, and Fabiana Piccioli has just won the Knight Of Illumination Award for Best Lighting Design in Dance.

Beside Grenoble and London, iTMOi has already been presented in Paris, Zagreb, Amsterdam, Vienna, Sydney, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Seville...

Press quotes:

“Wayward, passionate and captivating” - Metro UK (*****)

“65 exhilarating minutes of relentless terror and wonder; you’ve never seen anything like this” - Time Out Sydney (*****)

“Spellbinding” - The Times (****)

“Through Khan's shockingly imagined chaos we're drawn into the creative maelstrom from which art is born” - The Guardian (****)

Akram Khan iTMOi Akram Khan iTMOi

Media

iTMOi Trailer With Akram from 2Luck Concepts on Vimeo.

Technical Rider

AKRAM KHAN COMPANY 19.06.2013

ITMOI

iTMOi-tech-rider

TECHNICAL RIDER

Update: June 19th

iTMOi tech rider June 19th 2013 (PDF Download)

The show contains: nudity, smoke, loud music

Press Quotes

Akram Khan Company

iTMOi

Press quotes

“65 exhilarating minutes of relentless terror and wonder; you’ve never seen anything like this”

“Theatre at its most electrifying”

iTMOi | Dee Jefferson, Time Out Sydney, Australia | 22 May 2013 | 

“Wayward, passionate and captivating”

“Khan at his most potent and unfettered”

“iTMOi turns the familiar into something entirely fresh and invigorating”

iTMOi | Keith Watson, Metro, UK | 31 May 2013 | 

“Spellbinding”

“A dazzling road trip into the creative imagination of one of our foremost dance artists”

“A 65-minute ride through a landscape of free association”

“iTMOi has fantastic thrust and excitement; at times it's a dreamy meditation, at others a regression to animalistic fundamentals”

iTMOi | Debra Craine, The Times, UK | 31 May 2013 | 

“Through Khan's shockingly imagined chaos we're drawn into the creative maelstrom from which art is born”

iTMOi | Judith Mackrell, The Guardian, UK | 31 May 2013 | 

“This is unlike anything ever made by Akram Khan before”

“My admiration is boundless for an artist that can change direction with such startling effect”

“A visual appeal that grabs hold of one’s imagination from the opening moment and never relents until the end”

iTMOi | Graham Watts, DanceTabs, UK | 31 May 2013

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