Akram Khan Company ^(GBR) Until the lions 22-24 February 2018

Programme

Akram Khan's latest production, Until the Lions is a large-scale work with newly composed music. The performance is based on the book Until the Lions: Echoes from the Mahabharata by Karthika Naïr. A book that is in turn a reworking and interpretation of the Indian epic poem Mahabharatha.

Classical kathak meets contemporary elements and specially written music when Akram Khan Company With three dancers and four live musicians on stage, Princess Amba's fate is portrayed. Abducted and abused, the young woman seeks the help of the gods to punish the perpetrators. She becomes a warrior and demands revenge. Here, Akram chooses to elevate the female figure to a stronger position:

"As in many myths, the female characters are often the unsung heroes, the figures of strength and imagination and endurance. It is their unsung stories in particular, that still haunt me today."

Princess Amba portrayed by the dancer Chin-Ying Chien sum In 2016 was awarded the Outstanding Female Performance (Modern) Award at the National Dance Awards.