DANCE
Presented by Melbourne Festival
in association with Dumbo Feather
Having taken the 2010 Melbourne
Festival by storm with his visceral
Vertical Road, dance phenomenon
Akram Khan now returns with
this mesmerising one-man show,
a whimsical reflection on his
ancestral homeland.
Born in London to Bangladeshi parents, Khan
has over the past decade become one of modern
choreography’s finest observers of the migrant
experience. With DESH (Bangladeshi for
‘homeland’) he turns the spotlight decisively on
his own story and identity.
Spanning continents and generations, DESH
is beautiful, direct and grand in scope, a dance
rich in comic flourishes and theatrical asides,
underpinned throughout by Khan’s inimitable
merging of traditional Indian kathak dance
and the precise gestures of contemporary
movement – fluid as water in one moment,
taut and pronounced in the next.
Weaving his way across an enchanting landscape
created by Oscar-winning set designer Tim
Yip (production designer for Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon) and Yeast Culture, Khan explores
the Bangladesh of his childhood imaginings
as breathtaking projections transport him to
a chance encounter with an elephant or into
a journey through the treetops and down the
rivers of his father’s childhood. Orchestral
strings swell alongside traditional Bangladeshi
chants, as Khan shows us the complexity and
untrammelled beauty of a country and people
still divided and uncertain.
Playful and imaginative, intimate and deeply
affecting, DESH is a masterwork from a performer
at the peak of his powers, a wilfully magical
reflection on the indelible ties of family and
culture, and the elusive nature of the place we
call home.
Dramaturge Ruth Little
Creative Acting Director Zoë Nathenson
Eshita’s Voice Sreya Andrisha Gazi
Jui’s Voice Eesha Desai
Visual Animation Yeast Culture
Set Construction Sander Loonen (Arp Theatre)
Sound Design Nicolas Faure
Technical Director Fabiana Piccioli
Costume Supervisor Kimie Nakano
Rehearsal Director Jose Agudo
Technicians Nicolas Faure, Sander Loonen,
Natan Rosseel, Peter Swikker
Tour Manager Mashitah Omar
Producer Farooq Chaudhry
Akram Khan presents a free talk as part of
Ringside: Artists in Conversation (see page 51).
Event Information
The MTC Theatre, Sumner
Tue 16 & Wed 17 Oct at 7.30pm
Fri 19 – Sun 21 Oct at 7.30pm
1hr 20min no interval
$70 / $52.50 / Grp $63 / Snr $59.50 / Student $25
Transaction & booking fees may apply
The MTC Theatre (03) 8688 0800
mtc.com.au
Ticketmaster 136 100
melbournefestival.com.au
Photos Richard Haughton
Sponsored by COLAS.
Co-produced by MC2: Grenoble, Curve Leicester, Sadler’s
Wells London, Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg,
Concertgebouw Brugge.
Produced during residencies at Curve, Leicester and MC2: Grenoble
Supported by Arts Council England.
Akram Khan Company gratefully acknowledges the support of the
Bangladesh High Commission, London.
Akram Khan is an Associate Artist of MC2: Grenoble and Sadler’s
Wells, London in a special international cooperation.
Presenting Partner
Sponsored by
Direction, Choreography & Performance
Akram Khan
Visual Design Tim Yip
Music Composition Jocelyn Pook
Lighting Design Michael Hulls
Stories imagined by Karthika Nair, Akram Khan
Written by Karthika Nair, PolarBear,
Akram Khan
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