ZIK'R to Play The Peacock

ZIK'R seamlessly blends traditional instruments with exciting electronic elements and the energising fusion performance is set alight by spectacular, powerful flamenco dance. Having begun life in India at the World Sufi Spirit Festival, ZIK'R has played several celebrated UK dates including the 2015 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and now returns to London's home of dance, Sadler's Wells, where it plays at The Peacock as a reworked and newly expanded piece from Tuesday 14 June 2016.

A story of exile, passion and survival, the music tells a tale of the pain of separation and the agony of the soul.

Sufi and Flamenco have been intertwined as part of a centuries-long journey. As traders made their way from India through the Middle East and North Africa and into Southern Spain, so flamenco absorbed the vibrant traditions of the places where it rested, pulling together the strands of cross-cultural musical practices to become a uniquely impassioned and inspiring art form.

A magical and alchemical journey, ZIK'R has been created by celebrated musician and producer Youth, together with the acclaimed flamenco dancer and singer-songwriter Karen Ruimy. One of the UK's most influential producers, Youth has worked with bands including The Verve, Paul McCartney, Crowded House and Pink Floyd whose 2014 release The Endless River topped the charts. His contribution to the music industry was this year recognised as he was named recipient of the Music Producer's Guild 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award. Ruimy has performed all over the world with acclaimed shows at the Folies Bergère in Paris and Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London.

Karen Ruimy says; "For me the blend of spiritual music and Flamenco is a natural and most magical place in which to perform." Youth continues, "Sufi music for me is soul music. What I love about it most is the ambition to achieve ecstatic transcendence through music and dance."