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.
