Akram Khan Company

WELCOME TO AKRAM KHAN THE ROUNDHOUSE making before opening at the reimagining of the epic COMPANY Roundhouse, we are delighted Mahabharata – and pulls to be working in partnership audiences into Akram’s world, with Sadler’s Wells, as well as giving them a unique experience UNTIL THE LIONS one of the most extraordinary from every viewpoint. and instinctive collaborators I have come across, Akram Khan. I look forward to experiencing Akram has worked with world- this premiere performance once class artists from music, film, again and I very much hope you dance and theatre and watching enjoy it too. Photo: Ellie Pinney him in rehearsals last summer, I was able to witness his open Marcus Davey OBE and inclusive approach to the Chief Executive and In 1966, the Roundhouse creative process first hand. Artistic Director opened its doors for the first time as a cutting-edge arts This production was initiated venue, beginning with the by the 360° Network – a network legendary launch of radical of round artistic venues across underground newspaper, the the world – with Until the Lions International Times. In 2016 we especially created for our iconic started our 50th anniversary year Main Space. This also marks the with the world premiere of Until first time Akram has created a the Lions from one of the dance complete work for a 360-degree world’s most influential and setting. Our round Main Space respected figures, Akram Khan. allows him to explore a particular After a world tour of in-the- section of Karthika Naïr’s book round venues, the show returned Until the Lions: Echoes from to us in January 2019, but it is the Mahabharata – an original the special premiere, lovingly captured by our young film and broadcast team, that we are bringing to online audiences on the 27th August 2020. Collaboration is very much at the heart of everything we do at the Roundhouse and Until the Lions is no exception. A production that was three years in the 9 – 24 JANUARY 2016 ROUNDHOUSE Artistic Director, Stage Manager Choreographer and Marek Pomocki Performer AKRAM Akram Khan Lighting Engineer Stéphane Déjours Narrative Concept, Scenario and Text Sound Engineer KHAN Karthika Naïr Julien Deloison Visual Designer Assistant to the Tim Yip Costume Designer COMPANY and Costume Maker Lighting Designer Peggy Housset Michael Hulls UNTIL THE LIONS Model head designed Original Music Score and made by composed by Blind Summit Vincenzo Lamagna World premiere: 12 January 2016, Roundhouse, London in collaboration Project Manager with Sohini Alam, and Tour Manager This performance will last approximately 1 hour, with no interval David Azurza, Yaron Mashitah Omar Engler, Akram Khan This production is a partial adaptation of Until the Lions: Echoes from the and Joy Alpuerto Ritter Special thanks to Mahabharata, a retelling in verse of the Mahabharata by Karthika Naïr Marcus Davey, Alistair (published by HarperCollins India, 2015 and Arc Publications UK, 2016) Dramaturg Spalding, Nikolai Foster Ruth Little and Curve team, Philippe Production initiated by the 360° Network of round Bachman, Hervé Le artistic venues across the world Assistant Director Bouc, Sophie Sadeler, Sasha Milavic Davies Béatrice Abeille-Robin, Produced during residency at Sadler’s Wells and Curve Leicester Lady Angela Bernstein, Assistant Choreographer Mr & Mrs Khan, Yuko Co-produced by Roundhouse/Sadler’s Wells, MC2: Grenoble, Jose Agudo Khan, Saju Hari, Mavin La Comète Châlons-en-Champagne, Théâtre de la Ville/La Villette Paris, Khoo, Ushma William, Danse Danse/TOHU Montréal, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Voice-over Siddhartha Bose, Jayne New Vision Arts Festival Hong Kong, Taipei Performing Arts Center, Kathryn Hunter Stevens, Louisa Robey, Movimentos Festwochen der Autostadt in Wolfsburg, Brighton Festival Bethany Storie, Pei-Shan 2016, Maison de la Culture d’Amiens, Concertgebouw Brugge, Dancers Su, Verona Rhamanan Le Manège de Reims Scène nationale, Holland Festival Amsterdam, Akram Khan and Natalie Roberts Ching-Ying Chien Romaeuropa Festival and Curve Leicester Joy Alpuerto Ritter Sponsored by COLAS Musicians Created with generous support from The Quercus Trust Sohini Alam David Azurza Supported by Arts Council England Yaron Engler Vincenzo Lamagna Akram Khan is an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells and Curve Leicester Producer Farooq Chaudhry Technical Director Cover photography by Richard Fagan Richard Haughton Technical Coordinator Rehearsal photography by Peter Swikker Jean-Louis Fernandez the morning and then doubling seven. A storytelling tradition Theatre, all of which ‘confused’ his back through the garden. Khan’s that grew from the temples kathak technique, resulting in his instinct to dance and the will to and courts of medieval India, unique style. He graduated with follow his own path was clear, kathak uses expressive gestures top marks. ‘It’s always when you’re even at a young age. and rhythmic virtuosity, with lost that you discover something lightning-quick spins and fast- – or yourself,’ he once said. His parents were mortified when stamping feet. they discovered he hadn’t been Khan set up his own company ACROSS at school but his mother was Khan went on to study dance at with producer Farooq Chaudhry appeased, a little, when she De Montfort University followed as the millennium rolled around. found out he was spending the by the Northern School of In 2002, Kaash was the piece time dancing. It was she who Contemporary Dance. It was that really got people’s attention, introduced him to folk dance as here he discovered ballet and setting out his thrilling collision a child and then the north Indian contemporary, and the work of of cultures and showcasing a WORLDS classical dance form kathak at Pina Bausch and DV8 Physical striking collaboration with British- A consummate influences from his Bangladeshi heritage with contemporary storyteller, risk- dance and theatre. taking collaborator Performing since his teens, two and genre-defying very different figures helped dancer, Akram launch Khan’s stage career. Peter Brook, the ground-breaking Khan is one of theatre director, cast 13-year- the UK’s most old Khan in his staging of the Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, influential artists. which toured the world from the Lyndsey Winship mid-1980s. Before that, though, Michael Jackson had provided charts his journey the inspiration for Khan to enter to the top. and win a school talent show in which he danced a ‘Thriller’ One evening in July 2012, routine. The experience saw him 900 million people around the change, in his own words, from globe watched Akram Khan ‘the Indian boy who was a bit dance. Against the backdrop weird, who nobody knew,’ to of a giant glowing orange sun, the kid they’d call out to in the 50 performers with Khan at playground, saying: ‘Hey Akram, the helm flowed across a stage wow, that was really cool.’ as Emeli Sandé sang ‘Abide with Me.’ This, of course, was As a shy boy, with a stammer the opening ceremony of the and a lisp, London-born Khan London 2012 Olympic Games could have trouble articulating for which Khan was chosen himself verbally but he found to create a section of Danny confidence in communicating Boyle’s spectacular production. physically. ‘My body became my refuge,’ he recalls. Part of the He might not have been the reason the boys at school didn’t biggest name on the televised know him was because Khan bill but by that summer Khan was wasn’t always there. For a year one of the UK’s most in-demand he managed to bunk off school dance-makers. He had already to secretly practice kathak for built a reputation as an electric eight hours at a time in a garage performer and a choreographer behind his house in Wimbledon, with a singular voice, fusing leaving dressed in his uniform in Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor In zero degrees (2005), Khan Themes of home and identity The Olympic experience had the borders of dance languages, often beyond words; like the and composer Nitin Sawhney. meditated on life and death are never far from Khan’s an impact on the way that Khan his next major project being boys in the schoolyard, all you can It was Khan’s own performance with Belgian-Moroccan work. His approach can be now thinks about creation. ‘Up a reworking of the romantic say is, ‘Wow, that’s really cool.’ that many in the audience choreographer Sidi Larbi observational and wry, finding until that point, I was interested ballet Giselle. At 41, Khan will found so compelling – a dancer Cherkaoui, the production also the poignant moments in in the space inside the body soon wind down his dancing Lyndsey Winship is dance critic of supreme focus and fluidity; featuring man-sized sculptures everyday life, or it can be – and that’s a huge world,’ career and focus solely on of the Evening Standard and a mass of coiled energy held by artist Antony Gormley. He epic and trancelike, delving he observes. ‘But suddenly choreography, which makes his author of Being a Dancer. together by an inner strength teamed up with French actress deep into dance with a sense it wasn’t about the internal performances all the more worth like the earth’s magnetic core. Juliette Binoche for In-I (2008) of otherworldliness. A strong journey, it was about the bigger seeing now. When he dances, Written in 2016. at the National Theatre, drawing spirituality runs through his picture, and it was the space there’s a power and soulfulness Since then, Khan’s work has out her dancing abilities. He work, the ‘vertical road’ in that outside the body that I started that is impossible not to connect progressed on a number of coaxed another French icon, show’s title referring to the path to learn about.’ Until the Lions, with.

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