that on its own. contemporary dance would never challenge him enough. But by ‘confusing' the two styles. as he calls it. Khan could create something truly special. Copious awards followed. first for his incredible solos and then. after forming the Akram Khan Dance Company in 1999. for his group works.
He‘s soon to perform the British premiere of his new work. mu. and his debut at the Edinburgh International Festival is a long time coming. In 2002. EIF director Brian McMaster was on the lookout for dancers to present his short season of Indian dance. Intending to showcase all six of the country‘s styles. McMaster wanted the finest performers each discipline had to offer. But when he approached Kathak dancers in India he was told. ‘You already have the best Kathak dancer living there in Britain.‘ Sadly. it was not to be. Khan was busy creating and touring Karts/1. his first major group work.
Inspired by the Hindu god. Shiva. who has the power to both create and destroy. Kuush featured five dancers. a set by Turner Prize-winning sculptor. Anish Kapoor. and an original score by Nitin Sawhney. Quite a cocktail. and one which attracted Khan a great deal of attention — in some ways. too much. If Kaash had a downside. it was the audience‘s inability to shift its collective gaze from him. Despite sharing the stage with four other dancers. all eyes remained firmly on the man himself. so compelling was his stage presence. ma. Khan assures me. will not suffer the same pitfall. His dancers are starting to absorb Kathak into their bodies. and are finding it easier to make the work their own. Although
‘The more I get into Kathak, the more I feel I’m reaching God,’ says Khan. In practice, this means every performance of ma has an element of improvisation
understandably. getting to grips with a 5()()-year-old dance style isn‘t something you do overnight. ‘All of them are very strong contemporary dancers. and I gave them a crash course in Kathak.‘ Khan explains. ‘But it's almost to a superficial level. because like any dance form. you can‘t just learn it in three months. And with Indian classical dance. it‘s something that you have to spend many years on. So I pick up on the principal things that I find important.‘
One of the key elements in Khan‘s work. and Kathak in general. is improvisation. Within the framework of Kuusli. Khan left a number ofempty moments or ‘pockets‘ for he and his dancers to fill spontaneously. With over 2()() shows performed across the world. improvisation allowed Khan to keep each one fresh and exciting. But for mu. the job is being done for him — by three musicians who join the dancers on stage. ‘Because there is live music I don't have to leave so many pockets] he explains. ‘The musicians are very good at improvisation. and they're constantly surprising us. so it‘s always different in every show.‘
Khan is also receiving help from award-winning novelist and screenwriter. Hanif Kureishi. who is acting as dramaturge for the project. Although the original concept for mu came from Khan. Kureishi has taken the stories and anecdotes and shaped them into a workable narrative. ‘We did an education project for women over 50 at the South Bank (‘entre last year.‘ says Khan of his relationship with the author. ‘And that was the beginning of the research for mu. I wanted to know if Hanif and I would work well together — because he's a very precise human being. and so am I. So I was quite nervous in case we clashed because we weren't aiming for the same precision.‘
It would appear they were. The two men got along famously. and despite undergoing several changes over the past few months. mu is now ready to unveil. Inspired by Arundhati Roy's The Algebra (Milli/irate Justice. a book which resulted in her imprisonment in India. ma looks at man‘s increasingly complex relationship with the land we walk on. ‘The word “ma” has two meanings in Indian perception — one of them is earth and the other is mother.‘ explains Khan. ‘So I wanted to explore the relationship between earth and human beings. and how in a way most of us are becoming more and more detached emotionally from it. Whereas farmers have a completely one-to-one relationship with the earth. we go to a supennarket.‘
Edinburgh Playhouse, 473 2000, 21 & 22 Aug, 8pm, £64225.
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