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He is a POSSIBILITY
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Akram Khan wants recognition not for his ethnicity, but for what his experimental dance has to say to the world
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Kaash: exploring a classical form like Kathak in new ways
WHAT DOES it mean to be London-born Akram Khan at 29? What's the Bangladeshi origin individual voice of this brilliant dancer-choreographer, presented by the British Council and HSBC, who recently brought us the 55-minute Kaash? This first full-length work for his signature company launched in 2000 — performed by dancers from Malaysia, South Africa, and Spain — met with resounding applause on its four-city Indian tour, as it did in New York, Paris, and London.
He imbibed Peter Brook's spareness of execution and aversion to technology while playing the boy narrator in the lauded stage Mahabharata.
Akram's distinctive use of the glance motif, the sheer speed and creative mudras of his troupe ensured that Bangalore was blown away at the Chowdiah Hall at the show recently. Was it daunting for Akram to work on the Kathak-inspired Kaash with 1990 Venice Biennale Premio Duemilia and Turner Prize winning artist Anish Kapoor's sets and music by London's celebrated composer of Indian origin, Nitin Sawhney?
Here are glimpses of Akram off-stage from a pre-show interview:
Why did you choose Kathak? What explorations followed?
My mother, who was never officially allowed to dance, pushed me into Kathak. When I was seven, she sent me to my London Kathak guru, Pratap Pawar. I tried to keep it a secret from my boys' school friends.
I got a contemporary dance university degree because the South Asian dance courses didn't look good — and my community wanted me to get a degree. But I moved differently to other contemporary dancers, purely because I was studying Kathak. My body was confused, trying to find clarity within chaos.
As a child, I felt oppressed because within the Asian community, you never question adults. At university, it felt like a gift when others asked, "What do you have to say?" Yet, what I had to say was actually nothing...
I did solo classical work. Then, I wanted to experiment with other dancers. Remember, in India two years ago, I did three solos?
Did you have a spcial dream for the Akram Khan Company?
Actually, my manager Farooq Chaudhry (of Pakistani origin) did. To manage a company that had integrity, a voice that would create ripples in the world dance scene. The last Indian who did that was Chandralekha.
What's distinctive about your world voice?
I don't like to call it fusion. Our company has a voice that comes from an honest, not contrived, place — unlike most fusion work... To me, (German) Pina Bausch is a goddess in contemporary dance. My work is aesthetically different. When invited to international festivals, I'd say: "Don't take me because of my ethnicity. Take me because my work says something to you."
Has your work evolved since 2001?
Those three solos were literally an exploration of the language. Now, it's really choreography. Kaash is predominantly inspired by the three aspects of Shiva — the preparation for battle, the destruction, the re-creation, and preservation of life. If I drop a glass ball, I create smaller fragments, until I eventually reach the atom — and a nuclear reaction.
Our next work, Ma, is provoked by Arundhati Roy's The Algebra of Infinite Justice. I'm a big fan.
What of the Anish Kapoor-Nitin Sawhney experience?
Conceptually, I had problems with Anish's dominating sets, which created the illusion of a void. It came from the story of Shiva, within whom multiple universes co-exist. I found it beautiful that ancient mythology had quantum physics in it.
I'd suggested Japanese Kodo drums to Nitin for the first part. He created something hugely epic.
It was a challenge to be recognised on stage as dancers because the music, the sets, seemed to be in competition. We decided not to fight it, but to go with it.
How would you define yourself as a creative individual?
I'm still searching. Rathi (Jafer of the British Council) was telling me about a South Indian yogi, whom I'd like to quote: "Don't look at me as a person; look at me as a possibility."
ADITI DE
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