Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Khan: Moving with the times

POLITICAL PIECE IS AKRAM’S FINAL SOLO SHOW

BRITISH ASIAN choreographer Akram Khan has drawn on his roots for the final solo dance performance of his career, with a show that pays tribute to Indi­an soldiers who fought in the First World War.


Xenos – which means stranger in Greek – opens with two musi­cians on stage, playing an inter­pretation of Indian music in a festive atmosphere.

Dressed for a performance, a dancer arrives, stumbling. The lights flicker, the music stalls and the dancer, a former soldier, is overcome by memories of war.

For the show, which Khan cho­reographed and stars in, the 43-year-old returns to the tradi­tional Indian classical dance form of kathak that he learned as a boy, and which has been pre­sent throughout his career.

“That is my home if you like – the most amount of time I spent in my life in one form was in kathak,” he said.

But in place of the elegant grace of that dance, Khan’s move­ments are disrupted. His clothes and accessories become chains that tie his hands to his feet.

The musicians leave the stage, parts of the set disappear, and the dancer finds himself in the mid­dle of no man’s land.

“This is not war – it is the end­ing of the world,” a voice says from offstage.

The performance was commis­sioned by 14-18 Now, the British organisation tasked with a pro­gramme of cultural events to mark the anniversary of the 1914- 1918 war. Almost 1.2 million Indi­ans took part in the war, fighting for the British empire.

“I wanted to focus on them because their stories were never truly told,” said Khan, who was born in London to Bangladeshi parents. “When I studied history, they were never there. I was pret­ty frustrated by that fact, that their story was omitted and they sacri­ficed their lives.”

Khan, who in 2012 snapped his Achilles tendon and feared his dance career was over, admits the show has tested him.

“It was a very tough process, physically. I am in a good place now, but through the process of creating I was really uninspired from my body,” he said. “I know my body doesn’t respond the way it used to, so that’s a fight in itself, and that has to do with time.”

Since he created his company in 2000, Khan has become a lead­ing figure on the contemporary dance scene, and was awarded an MBE in 2005. He has worked with world-class artists from ballerina Sylvie Guillem to visual artist Sir Anish Kapoor, composer Steve Reich and singer Kylie Minogue.

He won an Olivier Award in 2012 for Desh, a highly personal solo show about being a child of immigrants. One of his career highlights remains choreograph­ing a part of the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony.

Khan’s work has grown gradu­ally more political in nature, and he said Xenos was guided by his concerns about global attitudes.

“The compass was the very state that we are in the world right now, which is that of xenophobia, a fear toward the unknown, to­ward strangers,” he said.

“This was the same symptoms just before the First World War, before the Second World War. We seems to be repeating ourselves, it is a very scary time.”

Having completed its run at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London last weekend, the show will go on tour internationally, including in France, Japan and Canada.

But his solo performance is not the end for Khan, who says he is working on several projects, not all of them related to dance.

As always, “I am shifting, I am expanding a little bit.” (AFP)

More For You

Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Air India crash probe finds fuel to engines was cut off before impact

Highlights

 
     
  • Fuel to both engines of the Air India flight was cut off seconds before the crash
  •  
  • A pilot was heard questioning the other over the cut-off; both denied initiating it.
  •  
  • The Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people.
  •  
  • Investigators are focusing on fuel switch movement; full analysis may take months.

FUEL control switches to both engines of the Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff were moved from the "run" to the "cutoff" position seconds before the crash, according to a preliminary investigation report released early Saturday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

The Indian Navy and Coast Guard have consistently reported Chinese research vessel presence. (Representational image: Getty Images)

Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

A Chinese research vessel was detected operating in the Bay of Bengal near Indian waters while attempting to conceal its presence by disabling its Automatic Identification System (AIS), according to a report by The Economic Times, citing French maritime intelligence firm Unseenlabs.

The French company conducted a 16-day satellite-based survey tracking ships through radio frequency emissions. It monitored 1,897 vessels, with 9.6 per cent showing no AIS activity, indicating attempts to avoid detection. The survey raised concerns amid increased Chinese activity in the region.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian-inspired garden earns
five awards at Hampton Court

(From left) Malcolm Anderson (RHS, head of sustainability) Clare Matterson (RHS director general), Lorraine Bishton (Subaru UK and Ireland, managing director) Andrew Ball (director, Big Fish Landscapes) Mike McMahon and Jewlsy Mathews with the medals

Asian-inspired garden earns five awards at Hampton Court

BRITISH Asians are being encouraged to take up gardening by a couple who have won a record five medals at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

“It’s a contemporary reimagining of a traditional walled garden, highlighting the British and Irish rainforests,” said Jewlsy Mathews, who was born in Britain of parents from Kerala, a southern Indian state known for its lush vegetation.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk weather

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England

iStock

England faces widespread heat alerts and hosepipe bans amid rising temperatures

Highlights:

  • Amber heat health alerts in place for large parts of England
  • Hosepipe bans announced in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex
  • Temperatures could reach 33°C over the weekend
  • Health risks rise, especially for elderly and vulnerable groups

Heat warnings in effect as UK braces for another hot weekend

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England, with temperatures expected to climb to 33°C in some areas over the weekend. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) activated the warning at 12 pm on Friday, with it set to remain in place until 9 am on Monday.

The alerts cover the East Midlands, West Midlands, south-east, south-west, East of England, and London. Additional yellow alerts were issued for the north-east, north-west, and Yorkshire and the Humber, starting from midday Friday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Essex ladybird invasion

One of the largest gatherings was filmed on a beach at Point Clear

Dee-anne Markiewicz / SWNS

Swarms of ladybirds invade Essex coastline amid soaring temperatures

Highlights:

  • Ladybird swarms reported across Essex and Suffolk coastal towns
  • Hot weather likely driving the sudden surge in population
  • Sightings include Point Clear, Shoebury, Clacton and Felixstowe
  • Similar outbreaks occurred in 1976 during another hot UK summer

Sudden surge in ladybird numbers across the southeast

Millions of ladybirds have been spotted swarming towns and villages along the Essex coast, with similar sightings stretching into Suffolk. Residents have reported unusually high numbers of the red and black-spotted insects, particularly near coastal areas, with the recent hot weather believed to be a major contributing factor.

One of the largest gatherings was filmed on a beach at Point Clear, a village near St Osyth in Essex, where the insects could be seen piling on top of each other on driftwood and plants.

Keep ReadingShow less