Posts Tagged ‘akram khan’

Vertical Road

For Akram Khan fans, his new company production, Vertical Road premieres at the Curve Theatre in Leicester on Thursday 16 September.

This is what Akram had to say about his latest production:

Vertical Road also features two IDFB 2010 veterans – Ahmed Khemis and Salah El Brogy, who were involved in our Outspoken Weekend with their solo works.

We caught up with Salah and here are his thoughts on his Vertical Road journey so far:

To watch the Arabic version, click here.

Ahmed shares his Vertical Road experience:

To watch the French version, click here.

Vertical Road is Khan’s first ensemble work since the critically acclaimed bahok in 2008. The performance is inspired by the idea of vertical ascension – a common motif in several different religions, and the journey that the soul takes after death. These ideas will be explored in a ground-breaking work of contemporary dance, choreographed by Khan and performed by eight hand-picked world-class dancers from across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Performances at the Curve Theatre in Leicester will be between 14-18 September with the world premiere on 16 September. Tickets start from £8.25.

On 5 September, there are two workshops being held at the Curve. Workshop 1 (11am-1pm) will be a masterclass for experienced dance practitioners and Workshop 2 (2-4pm) will be aimed at experienced dance students. To book tickets or workshops, call the ticket office on 0116 242 3595.

The Leicester performances kick off the Vertical Road tour – the dates are below:
29 Sep – 2 October 2010: Geblasehalle, Duisburg (Ruhrtriennale Festival), Germany
5 – 9 Oct 2010: Sadler’s Wells, London, UK
19 – 23 Oct 2010: The CUB Malthouse, Merlyn Theatre, Melbourne (Melbourne International Arts Festival), Australia
28 Oct 2010: Brighton Dome, Brighton, UK
11 – 12 Nov 2010: Halle Kalk, Cologne, Germany
15 – 16 Nov 2010: Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea, UK
19 – 20 Nov 2010: DanceEast, Snape Maltings, UK
24 Nov 2010: Nuovo Teatro Comunale, Bolzano, Italy
2-4 Dec 2010: de Singel, Antwerp, Belgium
26 Jan 2010: Stadsschouwburg, Amserdam, Netherlands
29 Jan 2011: De Warande, Turnhout, Belgium
1 Feb 2011: Schouwburg, Tilburg, Netherlands
3 Feb 2011: Stadsschouwburg, Groningen, Netherlands
5 Feb 2011: Cultuurcentrum, Hasselt, Belgium
8 Feb 2011: Stadsschouwburg, Brugge, Belgium
4-13 March 2011: Theatre de la Ville, Paris, France
17 – 20 March 2011: Teatre Mercat de les Flors, Barcelona, Spain
25 – 26 March 2011: Teatro Central, Seville, Spain
16 – 17 May 2011: Kunstlerhaus Mousonturm, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
20 – 21 May 2011: The Hellerau, Dresden, Germany
23-24 May 2011: Le Grand T, Nantes, France
27 May 2011: Teatr Wielki, Poznan, Poland
29 – 30 May 2011: Teatr Wielki, Lodz, Poland
7-11 June 2011: Kunstencentrum Vooruit, Ghent, Belgium
24-25 June 2011: Montpellier Danse festival, Montpellier, France

Vertical Road is sponsored by COLAS and co-produced with Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, Curve Theatre, Leicester, Sadler’s Wells, London, Theatre de la Ville, Paris, National Arts Centre, Ottawa, Mercat de les Flors, Barcelona and supported by Arts Council England.

Observer critic hails Gnosis as this year’s “most enthralling programme of dance”

Gnosis | International Dance Festival Birmingham

The IDFB team is very much looking forward to Gnosis this Friday and Saturday at Town Hall. We got even more excited when we read the great reviews in The Observer and The Independent over the weekend.

The production is celebrated British choreographer Akram Khan’s first solo performance in four years following years of collaborative work with artists including Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Nitin Sawhney, Sylvie Guillem and Juliette Binoche. Also joining Akram in this production is taiko drummer Yoshie Sunahata from Japanese company Kodo, plus an ensemble of musicians from across the globe.

Watch and listen to Akram talk about Gnosis.

And here he is talking about the Festival and audiences in the Midlands.

Don’t miss out on Gnosis. Catch it on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 May at Town Hall at 7.30pm. Ticket prices between £12-£20.

What’s on in week 3

We’ve reached the Festival’s halfway point already, but there’s no let up in the pace as we move into week 3 – here’s what’s on:

Performances

strictly

This week begins with the glitz and the glamour of Strictly Come Dancing – The Professionals at Birmingham Hippodrome. Between Tuesday and Sunday you’ll be able to see the world champion dancers from the smash-hit BBC TV series as they take to the stage.

Chanta La Mui – a trio of young dancers who have enjoyed excellent reputations as soloists – will be bringing flamenco to Town Hall on Wednesday and Thursday. Complot is flamenco with a contemporary twist, while Recital goes back to the dance’s traditional form.

gnosis

On Friday and Saturday, Akram Khan returns to his classical roots with Gnosis at Town Hall. Gnosis is a story in four parts told using kathak, the most expressive of classical Indian dance forms, to explore the inner and outer battles of characters both human and godly.

Family Weekend

funny-bones

The week ends with IDFB 2010’s Family Weekend. Funny Bones is a stimulating interactive dance experience for young audiences and can be seen on Friday and Saturday at the Patrick Centre.

On Sunday there’s the exciting, rhythmic spectacle of Echoa, also at The Patrick Centre. There are pre and post-show workshops for Funny Bones and Echoa for children to get involved in.

Talk to us

Keep up to date with what’s happening – follow IDFB on Twitter and sign up to the Facebook Page.

If you’re planning to go along to any of the events, or if you’ve enjoyed any of the ones so far, then let us know. We love hearing from you and thank you for the great messages you have been sending us.