Klemark Performing arts & Music Management

ABOUT THE JUNGLE BOOK:

World Première: 2-9 April 2022, Curve Leicester, UK

“We are now living in unprecedented and uncertain times, not only for our species but for all species on this planet. And the root cause of this conundrum is because we have forgotten our connection to our home, our planet. We all inhabit it, we all take from it, and we all build on it, but we have forgotten to return our respect for it.” – Akram Khan

We are thrilled to announce Akram Khan’s Jungle Book reimagined, a brand-new work based on the original story by Rudyard Kipling with an original score. With a new sense of urgency, Akram will reinterpret this lovingly known story from another perspective, through the lens of today’s children – those who will inherit our world and become our future storytellers.

Embedded in the roots of Jungle Book is the deep threat that mankind poses towards nature. Akram and his team reimagine the journey of Mowgli through the eyes of a refugee caught in a world devastated by the impact of climate change. They will tell the story of how this child will help us to listen again, not to our voices but to the voices of the natural world that we, the modern world, try to silence. Jungle Book reimagined will speak to all generations as a step to remind, to relearn, to reimagine a new world together

A stellar creative team will be working on this reimagining of Jungle Book, performed by an ensemble of ten dancers, with a text by Tariq Jordan, dramaturgy by Sharon Clark, to an original score by Jocelyn Pook and a music contribution by Anoushka Shankhar. Bringing together lighting by Michael Hulls, visual stage design by Tom Scutt, animation by Naaman Azhari, projection by Yeast Culture, and the insight of film director Andy Serkis, the visual technology will turn the stage into a magical world that dives into the myths of today.

ABOUT CHOTTO XENOS:

We’ve teamed up with director Sue Buckmaster to reimagine XENOS into a child-friendly production. Interweaving the themes from the piece, Chotto Xenos probes the necessary questions to younger audiences and their families.

How does war begin? And how does it end? It depends on who is telling the story.

Inspired by our award winning final full-length solo XENOS, Chotto Xenos is a captivating dance production that takes young audiences back in time, exploring the often forgotten and untold stories of World War 1 colonial soldiers, in order to shine light on our present and future.

Reimagined by Sue Buckmaster, Artistic Director of Theatre-Rites and creator of the highly successful Chotto Desh, Chotto Xenos weaves together stunning choreography by Akram Khan, lighting design by Guy Hoare, costumes by Kimie Nakano, and tender and evocative visuals by Lucy Cash. Mounted on a set by Ingrid Hu, this family production incorporates Domenico Angarano’s stirring soundscape inspired by Vincenzo Lamagna‘s score for XENOS.

Chotto Xenos will be performed by either Guilhem Chatir or Kennedy Junior Muntanga and is for anyone over the age of 8.

«Our future peace processes rely on us inspiring a younger generation» Sue Buckmaster

ABOUT THE COMPANY

In July 1999 in the foyer of the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, an animated and curiosity-filled conversation took place between the young gifted dancer/choreographer Akram Khan and an ambitious former dancer and just recently graduated arts manager Farooq Chaudhry. That conversation laid the foundation stone for a dynamic collaboration, culminating in the creation of Akram Khan Company one year later.

Inspired by Akram Khan’s early training in the Indian classical dance form Kathak, and the hybrid language that organically emerged when Akram’s kathak training encountered contemporary dance in his teens, a vision began to form, fuelled by a desire to learn and create through collaboration with the very best people across all the disciplines in the arts.

The rules were simple: take risks, think big and daring, explore the unfamiliar, avoid compromise and tell stories through dance that are compelling and relevant, with artistic integrity.