Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Dialogue-free play tells story of migrants through dance

Compelling portrayal of displacement falls short of fully engaging with audience

Dialogue-free play tells story  of migrants through dance

KIN is an unusual piece of theatre about the plight of refugees over the generations, created by an Ipswich-based troupe called Gecko.

The story is told only through dance. There is no dialogue. The director, Amit Lahav, leads an international ensemble of eight, including an Indian.


I missed this, but one critic noted: “Families are shown separated and reunited, anguished and rejoicing, numerous times. One scene with an apparently Indian family appears to conjure a train, which might refer to partition-era India.”

Some sequences are easy to follow: the repeated brutality of border guards to wards would-be migrants. On another occasion, a guard spits into bags of food before handing them to refugees.

At the very start of Kin, refugees who are admitted into the host country have a stripe painted on their backs. Towards the end, we see refugees paddling desperately in dinghies. So, Kin is obviously a comment on the migration crisis, not just in Britain, but all over the world.

What will happen to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip now that Israel has destroyed their homes in its effort to get at Hamas? Perhaps, by and by, some will clamber into small boats to get across the channel. Setting aside the justification for Israel’s action, we all know wars create refugees. Add to that climate change, which is accelerating month by month – it’s storm Isha in Britain this week – the global migrant crisis will only grow with the years.

LEAD Kin INSET OPTIONAL Amit Lahav and Company Kin On Tour Photo by Malachy Luckie 1 Amit Lahav

In Kin, which is 80 minutes long without an interval at the Lyttelton Theatre at the National, the scenes flow into each other. However, it would have helped if minimal subtitles had been utilised in order to make life easier for the audience. Chris Swain’s lighting, however, is dramatic and helps explain what the displaced are experiencing.

The programme note reveals Kin was inspired by what happened to Lahav’s grandmother: “In 1932, to escape persecution, Leah and her family embarked on a journey from Yemen to Palestine. Ninety years later, her grandson Amit Lahav (artistic director of Gecko) reflects on the life-changing decision his family made to flee and build a better life. “This powerful piece by Gecko is a provocative story of desperation, compassion and acceptance, inspired by the migration stories of Gecko’s international performers and the extraordinary voyage Leah undertook as a young child.”

Lahav could have made Kin even more contemporary by delving a little deeper into his grandmother’s story. She must have escaped to the part of Palestine which became Israel in 1948.

There is a message from Lahav: “Twenty-two years ago, I wanted to make arresting, powerful, energised, visceral theatre that would speak to any human being on the planet. Since then, we have been developing a unique language, a style of making and a style of performing which allows us to create work that deeply impacts our audiences.

Kin explores the lived migration stories of our international ensemble and reflects years of questioning and exploration. We are all the product of migration stories, whether we’re aware of them or whether they’re more distant.

“From the beginning, the idea excited me. Kin is a voyage toward empathy. Now, more than ever, we need stories that connect us.”

I have to say I wasn’t totally convinced by the Indian in the ensemble played by Saju Hari. The language used in the babel of tongues includes “Hebrew, Mandarin, Cantonese, Malayalam, Norwegian and Spanish, among others”.

Kerala, where people speak Malayalam, is one state in India where people are highly educated, self-confident and politically assertive. I have lots of friends from Kerala, but have never heard of anyone wanting to get into a small boat for the beaches of England.

Saju Hari sounds more of an economic refugee. But the overall message of Kin is a worthy one.

Kin is showing at Lyttelton Theatre at the National until Saturday (27).

More For You

Louvre workers strike over overtourism

The strike highlights long-standing concerns among Louvre staff

AP

Louvre workers strike over overtourism and understaffing, forcing rare closure

The Louvre Museum in Paris, the world’s most-visited art institution, was forced to shut its doors to the public for most of Monday, 17 June, as workers staged a spontaneous strike in protest over chronic overcrowding and deteriorating working conditions.

Thousands of ticket-holding visitors were left waiting in long queues beneath the museum’s iconic glass pyramid, with no clear explanation provided on-site. Many expressed frustration over the lack of communication and the disruption to their plans.

Keep ReadingShow less
Father’s Day

Father’s Day reflects a wide range of traditions shaped by history, culture and emotion

iStock

What Father’s Day means around the world: A celebration of presence over presents

Father’s Day is often seen as a time for cards, tools or a family lunch, but across the globe, it carries a much deeper significance. Beyond the commercial promotions, Father’s Day reflects a wide range of traditions shaped by history, culture and emotion. While some mark the occasion with grand gestures, others focus on quiet reflection, respect and the bonds that define fatherhood.

Thailand’s day of respect

In Thailand, Father’s Day is celebrated on 5 December, the birthday of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The day is as much about honouring the nation’s former monarch as it is about celebrating fatherhood. Citizens wear yellow, the king’s birth colour, and present canna lilies to their fathers as a symbol of gratitude and respect. It’s a cultural blend of familial and national reverence.

Keep ReadingShow less
Victor Hugo hidden artworks

Drawings by Victor Hugo on display include Ecce Lex

Paris Musees

Victor Hugo’s hidden artworks reveal political depth and poetic mystery

The moment I walked into the Royal Academy to see Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo, I thought of Rabindranath Tagore.

Both men were giants of literature, but they were visual artists as well.

Keep ReadingShow less
Celebrating 50 Years of Mili: A Timeless Hindi Classic

The year 1975 was significant in Indian cinema for newly crowned superstar Amitabh Bachchan

Prime Video

Celebrating 50 years of Mili, an underrated classic of Hindi cinema

The year 1975 was significant in Indian cinema for newly crowned superstar Amitabh Bachchan, as he starred in the two biggest films of that year, and also his career, Deewaar and Sholay.

These blockbusters cemented his position at the top. In between their releases came Mili, Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s decidedly different tearjerker.

Keep ReadingShow less
London's Jaipur Literature Festival seeks to
‘build bridges between cultures’

William Dalrymple with his artist wife Olivia Fraser

London's Jaipur Literature Festival seeks to ‘build bridges between cultures’

EASTERN EYE is supporting this year’s Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) at the British Library next Friday (13) to Sunday (15) as its media partner.

“We are happy to do so as we aim to be ‘the voice of British Asians’, as we say on our masthead,” said Shailesh Solanki, executive editor of the newspaper.

Keep ReadingShow less