Akram Khan Company
North west premiere at The Lowry
Powerful dance from top choreographer…
Akram Khan Company
bahok
Thu 4 February, 2010
Press night Thu 4 February, 7.30pm
· Interviews available with Akram Khan on request
Dance styles from around the world combine as The Lowry sees the north west premiere of bahok by acclaimed British choreographer Akram Khan.
Khan’s international collaborations to date have included major artists such as Juliette Binoche; Sylvie Guillem; Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Steve Reich and choreography for Kylie Minogue.
bahok, named after the Bengali word meaning ‘carrier’, explores the ways in which the body carries national identity and a sense of belonging. The unique collaboration with China's classical ballet flagship company draws on differing cultural perspectives and diverse dance styles, taking its inspiration from personal stories of crossing borders and a thought-provoking quote from John Berger’s Hold Everything Dear; “For nomads, home is not an address, home is what they carry with them.”
Featuring a score by award-winning composer Nitin Sawney, the show features eight performers who come from the varied cultures, traditions and dance backgrounds of China, Korea, India, South-Africa, Slovakia, Taiwan and Spain.
Khan says “The dancers are the writers of the show… That’s what fascinates me, to explore these personal stories of these individuals on stage, in order to discover and reveal a more universal one.”
Khan is one of the most acclaimed choreographers and dancers of his generation. He is renowned for his inter-cultural, inter-disciplinary collaborations and for challenging conventional ideas of traditional dance forms. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honours including an MBE for services to dance and in 2007 he was awarded Excellence in International Dance by the International Theatre Institute. He has been an Associate Artist of Sadler's Wells since March 2005. Khan is celebrated for the originality of his vision, which has been informed by his training in the north Indian classical dance form kathak and contemporary dance.
The Lowry is delighted to present bahok in partnership with Milapfest and with the generous support of Arts Council England Sustain fund.
Posted on Thursday, 07 January 2010 under Press Theatre Press