DESH ARTISTIC DIRECTION, ORIGINAL CHOREOGRAPHY:
Akram Khan
CHOTTO DESH DIRECTION, ADAPTATION:
Sue Buckmaster (Theatre-Rites)
MUSIC COMPOSITION:
Jocelyn Pook
LIGHTING DESIGN:
Guy Hoare
STORIES IMAGINED:
Karthika Naïr, Akram Khan
The grandmother’s fable in Chotto Desh is taken from the book The Honey Hunter
WRITTEN BY:
Karthika Naïr, Sue Buckmaster, Akram Khan
ASSISTANT CHOREOGRAPHER:
Jose Agudo
REHEARSAL DIRECTORS:
Dennis Alamanos, Amy Butler, Nicola Monaco
GRANDMOTHER’S VOICES:
Leesa Gazi
JUI’S VOICE:
Sreya Andrisha Gazi
DANCERS:
Jasper Narvaez, Nicolas Ricchini
ORIGINAL VISUAL DESIGN:
Tim Yip
ORIGINAL VISUAL ANIMATION CREATED BY:
YeastCulture
ORIGINAL COSTUME SUPERVISOR:
Kimie Nakano
MUSIC ENGINEER:
Steve Parr
PAINTED HEAD SEQUENCE:
Damien Jalet, Akram Khan
‘BLEEDING SOLES’ LYRICS:
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.
COPRODUCTION:
MAC, Belfast
ORIGINALLY CO-COMMISSIONED:
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 and Stratford Circus Arts Centre.
PREMIERE:
16. 9. 2023, Belfast, obnovená premiéra
DURATION:
50 min
AGE:
7+
The TANEC PRAHA 2024 Festival takes place under the auspices of the President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel.
Akram Khan Company is delighted to return in 2024 with its much-loved family-friendly production of Chotto Desh. Adapted by Theatre-Rites’ director, Sue Buckmaster, in 2015 from Akram Khan’s Olivier Award-winning solo and critically acclaimed DESH, this heart-warming story follows a young man trying to find his place in the world.
This unique production captures the attention and imagination of a new generation of young audiences. Through warm and gentle poetics, the creative team asks the viewer timeless questions: How should we find our place in the world? Where do we belong? Who do we really want to be?
An engaging and largely autobiographical story of a boy whose dreams and memories span from early childhood to adulthood, from Britain to Bangladesh, dancing between stage and screen. Chotto Desh is a celebration of the strength of the human spirit to cope even in the modern chaotic world of blaring sirens, the voices of mobile operators and our own doubts. A mixture of classical Indian kathak and contemporary dance with an exceptional combination of storytelling, dreamlike animations and original music, the production is a captivating spectacle for both young and old. Chotto Desh is a charming and moving solo of one dancer and many stories. With its playfulness, lightness and accessibility, it will captivate everyone who is looking for a refuge from today's fast-paced world. Khan's movement language transcends cultures and generations.
The performance uses spoken word in English, sudden loud noises and darkness.
In over 23 years, Akram Khan Company is now undisputedly one of the foremost innovative dance companies in the world. Akram Khan has been the recipient of numerous international dance awards, the most notable being an Olivier Award for his solo production DESH in 2012. Programmes range from kathak and modern solos to artist-to-artist collaborations and ensemble productions. The Company holds an acclaimed international presence and reaches cultures across the globe.
