Award-winning show Vertical Road by acclaimed choreographer Akram Khan returns to the UK for one night only
Vertical Road – Akram Khan Company
23 Februrary, 8pm
The Hawth Theatre, Hawth Avenue, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 6YZ
Box Office: 01293 539418
Ticket pricing available here: www.hawth.co.uk
“The dance is beautiful and harrowing, and draws us into a strange, potent world of memory and self discovery” – The Guardian
Production images: http://bit.ly/vertical-road
Vertical Road, the award-winning dance work performed by Akram Khan Company, will have its only UK performance this year at the Hawth Theatre, Crawley on 23 February 2012. Recent accolades for the piece, which is currently on a world tour, include winning the Critics' Circle National Dance Award 2011, Best Modern Choreography. The show will be the public’s only opportunity to see a performance by Akram Khan Company this year before Khan’s much-anticipated collaboration with Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle for the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Vertical Road is Akram Khan's latest contemporary ensemble work realised by an eclectic cast drawn from across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. With a specially commissioned score by long-term collaborator, composer Nitin Sawhney, Vertical Road draws inspiration from the Sufi tradition and the Persian poet and philosopher Rumi.
Exploring man's earthly nature, his rituals and the consequences of human actions, Vertical Road becomes a meditation on the journey from gravity to grace. The piece explores these ideas in a ground-breaking work of contemporary dance, choreographed by Akram Khan and performed by eight hand-picked dancers from around the world.
The work sees Akram Khan returning to pure movement in his choreography, eliminating the text and dialogue that have featured in recent works such as DESH and zero degrees. Rooted in his classical kathak training, but informed by his experience and virtuosity in contemporary dance, Vertical Road has strong Middle Eastern influences, and continues Khan’s interest in exploring the interfaces between different cultures and creative disciplines.
Vertical Road has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of COLAS, the international road construction company and the support of co-producers ADACH, the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage and Sadler's Wells Theatre. Curve, Leicester and DanceEast, Ipswich supported the project through residencies to create Vertical Road and Curve is also a co-producer and host of the new production’s world premiere.
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Further information and high resolution images:
Press Contacts
Maxim Bendall - Kallaway: e – maxim.bendall@kallaway.com t – 0207 221 7883
Lorraine McGregor – The Hawth Theatre: e – lorraine.mcgregor@crawley.gov.uk
Akram Khan Artistic Director/Choreographer/Performer
Akram Khan is one of the most acclaimed choreographers of his generation working in Britain today. Born in London into a family of Bangladeshi origin, he began dancing at seven and studied with the renowned kathak dancer and teacher Sri Pratap Pawar.
He began presenting solo performances of his work in the late 1990s, maintaining his commitment to classical kathak as well as developing modern work. He was Choreographer-in-Residence and later Associate Artist at the Southbank Centre London. Khan is currently an Associate Artist of MC2: Grenoble and Sadler's Wells, London in a special international co-operation.
Khan’s first major solo performance DESH premiered to 5 star reviews and universal acclaim in September 2011. Described as “a masterpiece, the best thing he has ever done.” DESH has toured internationally throughout Europe and Asia, with extra tour dates added to meet this landmark show’s huge public demand. Khan's latest contemporary ensemble work Vertical Road (2010) and recent creation Gnosis (2009), where he combined his classical Indian and contemporary dance roots, received critical acclaim and continue to tour worldwide.
Khan's notable company works are bahok (2008), originally produced in collaboration with National Ballet of China; Variations (2006), a production with London Sinfonietta in celebration of Steve Reich’s 70th birthday; ma (2004), with text by Hanif Kureishi; Kaash (2002), a collaboration with artist Anish Kapoor and composer Nitin Sawhney.
Besides his company work, Khan also created duets: In-I (2008) with Oscar-winning actress Juliette Binoche, Sacred Monsters (2006) with internationally acclaimed dancer Sylvie Guillem, and award-winning zero degrees (2005) with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui in collaboration with Antony Gormley and Nitin Sawhney.
In 2006 Khan was invited by Kylie Minogue to choreograph a section of her Showgirl concert, which opened in Australia in November that year.
Khan has been the recipient of numerous awards throughout his career including the prestigious ISPA (International Society for the Performing Arts) Distinguished Artist Award in New York (2011) and the Critics' Circle National Dance Award for Best Modern Choreography (2011, Vertical Road). He was awarded an MBE for services to dance in 2005. He is also an Honorary Graduate of Roehampton and De Montfort Universities, and an Honorary Fellow of Trinity Laban.
SPONSORED BY COLAS
CO-PRODUCED WITH
ADACH (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
(Produced during residencies at Curve, Leicester and DanceEast, Ipswich)
SUPPORTED BY
Arts Council England
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