Akram Khan XENOS

British (by Bangladeshi descent) dancer/choreographer Akram Khan is revered for physically demanding, visually spellbinding solo productions which combine Indian kathak with modern dance in works of sublime storytelling. Seen here in an exclusive West Coast engagement, XENOS is Khan's final solo creation before his planned retirement from solo performance. A powerful work that reveals the beauty and horrors of the human condition through the myth of Prometheus, it is told from the perspective of an Indian soldier recruited to fight in the trenches of World War I for the British Crown. "Xenos" means "stranger" or "alien" in Greek, and Khan's work bravely explores the soldier's alienation as he is trapped between two cultures in the colonial system. Performed with live musical accompaniment. "A work of incredible potency, of emotional and cultural depth that sings and surges with the confidence of an artist at the peak of his powers" (The Stage, London).

Approximate run time: 65 minutes, without intermission

Featuring
Nina Harries, double bass and vocals
BC Manjunath, percussion and konnakol
Tamar Osborn, baritone saxophone
Aditya Prakash, vocals
Clarice Rarity, violin

Commissioned by 14-18 NOW : WW1 Centenary Art Commissions, supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England, and by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport