New York City Center Hosts 'bahok' Talkback 4/23

Award winning Choreographer and dancers from his company and the National Ballet of China will participate in a free talkback following the American Premiere of bahok on Tuesday, April 23, 2008 at New York City Center.  The discussion will be moderated by Wendy Perron, Editor-in- Chief of Dance Magazine. bahok is the opening piece of the Akram Khan Company's two-program week-long season at New York City Center, running April 23 - 27.* The program will also feature the American premiere of the critically acclaimed zero degrees, a duet with Moroccan-Flemish choreographer/dancer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.

In bahok, named after a Bengali word meaning 'carrier', Akram Khan explores the ways in which the body carries national identity and a sense of belonging. The dancers come from diverse cultures, traditions and dance backgrounds - Chinese, Korean, Indian, South-African and Spanish. They resemble a present day version of the tale of Babel: being a community that wants to create a utopian project, but speaking different languages with both their bodies and tongues. Mr. Khan has collaborated with multi award-winning composer Nitin Sawhney, who has created an original score for bahok.  The piece had its world premiere at the Tianqiao Theater in Beijing, China on January 25, 2008.

zero degrees received its world premiere at Sadler's Wells in July, 2005. The piece, based on Akram Khan's personal story of a train ride in India, draws on entangled memories, images and meditations. The live musicians underscore opposition and balance, threat and submission, and differences and similarities as Mr. Khan and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui dance a symmetric duet in mirror image, allowing the audience to glimpse their zero degrees - the transitional point between life and death. 

Akram Khan began dancing at the age of seven, studying under the great Kathak performer Sri Pratap Pawar. He presented solo performances in the 1990s, gradually developing larger scale works, drawing on his experience and training as a Kathak dancer. His production Ma was presented at the Edinburgh Festival in 2004.  The same year zero degrees premiered at Sadler's Wells, Mr. Khan was made an associate artist of Sadler's, received an MBE for his services to the UK dance community and continued the collaborative approach with Steve Reich and the London Sinfonietta.  In 2006 sacred monsters, a duet with Sylvie Guillem, explored the boundaries between two classical dance forms, Kathak and ballet. This year, French film star Juliette Binoche will appear in an as yet-untitled collaboration with him in London.

Akram Khan will perform April 23, 25, 26 & 27, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00pm, and Sunday evening at 7pm.  (NOTE that there is NO performance on Thursday, April 24). Tickets range from $20 - $65 and are available at the New York City Center Box Office (West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues), through CityTix® at 212-581-1212, or online at www.nycitycenter.org.  

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