CHOTTO DESH

Akram Khan Company
United Kingdom

 

08/10/2023
14:00 & 19:30
National Theater Sarajevo

Duration: 50 min.

Artistic direction and original choreography:
AKRAM KHAN

Director and adaptation:
SUE BUCKMASTER (THEATRE-RITES)

Music composition:
JOCELYN POOK

Lightning design:
GUY HOARE

Stories imagined by:
KARTHIKA NAÏR
AKRAM KHAN

(*The grandmother’s fable in Chotto Desh is taken from the book „The Honey Hunter“)

Chotto Desh“, meaning ‘small homeland’, draws on Khan’s unique cross-cultural storytelling, creating a tale of a boy’s dreams and memories from Britain to Bangladesh that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit in the modern world. Blending Kathak and contemporary dance, Chotto Desh is an enchanting dance- theatre experience for ages 7+.

 “An absolute triumph. A mixture of choreography spoken text and animation, cleverly re-shaped by director Sue Buckmaster to capture the attention and imagination of young audiences” – The Scotsman ★★★★★

“A heart-warming story of our connections to the past, to family and, most importantly, the need to find your own path… will captivate an audience of any age.” –The Stage

Written by:
KARTHIKA NAÏR
SUE BUCKMASTER
AKRAM KHAN

Assistant choreographer:
JOSE AGUDO

Rehearsal directors :
DENNIS ALAMANOS
AMY BUTLER
NICOLA MONACO

Grandmother’s voice:
LEESA GAZI

Jui’s voice:
SREYA ANDRISHA GAZI

Dancers:
JASPER NARVAEZ
NICOLAS RICCHINI
NICOLA MONACO

Original visual design:
TIM YIP

Original visual animation created by:
YEASTCULTURE

Original costume supervisor:
KIMIE NAKANO

Music Engineer:
STEVE PARR

Painted Head Sequence devised by:
DAMIEN JALET
AKRAM KHAN

‘Bleeding Soles’ lyrics written by:
LEESA GAZI

Singers:
MELANIE PAPPENHEIM
SOHINI ALAM
JOCELYN POOK (voice/viola/piano)
TANJA TZAROVSKA
JEREMY SCHONFIELD

We gratefully acknowledge the artists who contributed to the original production of DESH by Akram Khan Company.

Originally co-commissioned by:
MOKO DANCE
AKRAM KHAN COMPANY
SADLER’S WELLS LONDON
DANCEEAST
THÉÂTRE DE LA VILLE PARIS
MERCAT DE LES FLORS BARCELONA
BIENNALE DE LA DANSE DE LYON 2016
STRATFORD CIRCUS ARTS CENTRE

Supported by:
ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND

Photography:
RICHARD HAUGHTON