21/02 - 27-02 Don't miss the world premiere of Akram Khan XENOS performance @ SGT! (early bird s

Akram Khan XENOS | 21/02/2018 - 27/02/2018 | 20:30 - SGT

Akram Khan in his much anticipated new opus, a solo that will mark his last performances as a dancer in a full-length production. Accompanied on stage by five musicians, he takes us on a journey into his enticing world: kathak, contemporary dance, rousing rhythms and world musical traditions. The world première of Akram Khan’s latest work here, at the OCC.

The title XENOS means ‘stranger’ or ‘foreigner’. Akram and his world-class team of collaborators draw in this new solo work on the archives of the 20th century, unearthing the experience of colonial soldiers in the First World War.

Over 4 million non-white men were mobilised by the European and American armies during the conflict. Around 1.5 million of them were from India, mostly peasant-warriors from North and North-Western India, who fought and died in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In service to the myths of Empire, dislocated from their homelands and cultures, their stories have until recently remained in shadow.

As Akram himself writes: “I will investigate specific questions that confront me more and more every day, like a shadow constantly following me, haunting me, whispering to me… Do we need to tell other people’s stories in case they vanish? Who are the ‘other’ people? Are stories of human journeys told, retold, and told again, so we can eventually learn from our mistakes? Who are ‘we’, a collective or many individuals? What makes us human? Are we still human?”

Akram Khan’s movement language shifts between classical kathak and contemporary dance. XENOS takes place on the border between East and West, past and present, mythology and technology, where humanity still stands in wonder and disarray.

Akram has brought together a stellar creative team. Along with dramaturg Ruth Little and acclaimed Canadian playwright Jordan Tannahill, he teams up with German designer Mirella Weingarten, award-winning lighting designer Michael Hulls, costume designer Kimie Nakano, and composer Vincenzo Lamagna. Akram will be joined onstage by five international musicians: percussionist B C Manjunath, vocalist Aditya Prakash, bass player Nina Harries, violinist Andrew Maddick, and saxophonist Tamar Osborn.

Early bird from 3 JAN to 21 JAN 2018: 21, 25 € Full price: 7, 15, 25, 30, 36 € Reduced, Friend & Groups 5-9 people: 12, 20, 24, 29 € Groups 10+ people: 11, 18, 21, 25 € Νeighbourhood residents: 7 € People with disabilities & Unemployed: 5 € | Companions: 10 € Group ticket reservations at groupsales@sgt.gr