Program Notes for Akram Khan Company
Thikra: Night of Remembering
Program Note
The Matriarch, the elder and leader of the gathering, returns for one night of exchange. She understands the power of all its elements. Beside her stand two distinct forces: the Vessel and the Shaman—one who evokes, and one who becomes the ritual conduit. Together, they lead the tribe to summon their ancestor spirit from the Knowledge Rock.
She symbolizes the past, the ruins and the memory of generations that have lived through the cyclic flaws of humankind. She returns to her tribe for one night of exchange. This night is a moment to reflect on their collective past. Through the memory of their history and a colonized past, the tribe finds space to heal, and to transcend as they surrender to the ritual of life and death.
Artistic Team
Director & Choreographer Akram Khan
Visual Director / Costume and Scenography Manal AlDowayan
Narrative Concept Manal AlDowayan & Akram Khan
Associate Artistic Director & Coach Mavin Khoo
Music Composer & Soundscape Designer Aditya Prakash
Sound Designer Gareth Fry
Lighting Designer Zeynep Kepekli
Associate Lighting Designer Imogen Clarke
Dramaturge Blue Pieta
Rehearsal Director Chris Tudor
Dancers
Laura Bufano, Amrita Doshi, Ekta Doshi, Shreya Kannan, Madoka Kariya, Aishwarya Raut, Nikita Rao, Rohini Shetty, Elpida Skourou, Mei Fei Soo, Seren Williams
Artistic Credits
Producing Director Farooq Chaudhry
Executive Director Isabel Tamen
Production of Visual Direction Carla Giachello
Company Manager Svitlana Bil
Touring Production Manager Harry Abbott
Technical Manager Michael Cunningham
Sound Supervisor Matt Armstrong
Lighting Supervisor Stephane Dejours
Wardrobe Supervisor Anne-Marie Bigby
Costume Maker Peggy Housset
Set Builder Tin Shed Scenery
Musicians
(in recorded composition)
Aditya Prakash, Ananya Ashok, Loulwa Al Sharif, Melanie Pappenheim, Sohini Alam, Zafer Tawil, Sumesh Narayanan, Layth Sidiq, Megan Shung, Jay Julio, Naseem Alatrash, Guhan Venkataraman, Doyeon Kim, Dimitris Menexopoulos, Isaac Alderson, Sushma Soma, Praveen Sparsh, V. Prakash Ilayaraja, N Deepan, N Vijay, M Rajendran, Chris Votek
Featured Music in Score
“Gyura Beli Belo Platno” by London Bulgarian Choir
Directed by Dessislava Stefanova
“The Elephant’s Funeral” by Sushma Soma with Aditya Prakash
Commissioned by Wadi AlFann, Valley of the Arts, AlUla
Primary Co-producing Partner Bagri Foundation
Indoor adaptation co-produced by Berliner Festspiele, Brown Arts Institute at Brown University, Montpellier Danse Festival, Pina Bausch Zentrum, Sadler’s Wells, Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Théâtre de la Ville Paris
Supported by Arts Council England
Special thanks to Light Contrast, Mrs. Khan, Yuko, Sayuri, Kenzo & Ayana Khan, Moon Artists Management Representatives: Allen Moon, Amanda Bryant, Marcela Giannini, Ursula Bohen & David Lieberman
North American Touring Representation is by Moon Artists Management, Allen Moon, President
About Akram Khan 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, fueled 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.
In 25 years, Akram Khan Company is now undisputedly one of the foremost innovative dance companies in the world. The programs range from kathak and modern solos to artist-to-artist collaborations and ensemble productions. The Company has a major international presence and enjoys busy tours that reach out to many cultures and peoples across the globe. 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.
A milestone in the Company’s journey was the creation of a section of the London Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in 2012.
Akram Khan Company enjoys artistic association with Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London, Curve in Leicester, and other leading venues and festivals around the world.
Akram Khan Company
Thikra: Night of Remembering
October 17, 2026 | 7:30 pm