A magical mix of dance, text, visuals and sound. Akram Khan Company’s CHOTTO DESH is a hit with audiences and critics alike.
Fusing dance, storytelling, interactive animation and specially composed music, Chotto Desh is a bewitching dance-theatre tale of a young man’s dreams and memories from Britain to Bangladesh, created for children and their families to enjoy together.
The first ever family show created by Akram Khan, one of Britain’s most respected choreographers and dancers. Chotto Desh is reworked from his Olivier Award-winning autobiographical solo show DESH.
Bengali for ‘small homeland’, Chotto Desh tells a playful story of a boy who dreams of becoming a dancer, weaving together tales within tales of a son who rebels against the wishes of his father, and of a mythical child who angers the forest gods by collecting their forbidden honey.
Featuring dream-like animations of elephants, crocodiles and swirling clouds of butterflies, as well as a hypnotic musical score composed by Jocelyn Pook, Chotto Desh uses movement storytelling to explore ideas of homeland and identity, our relationships with our parents and our need to forge an individual path through life, with athletic choreography bringing together classical Indian Kathak, ballet and contemporary dance movements.
Akram Khan is one of the UK’s most celebrated and influential artists, admired for his unique style of intimate yet epic storytelling. He gained worldwide praise for his creation of part of the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, and in imaginative but highly accessible productions including Gnosis, zero degrees and Vertical Road, he has collaborated with figures including actress Juliette Binoche, ballerina Sylvie Guillem and visual artists Anish Kapoor and Antony Gormley
Drawing on Khan’s own childhood, Chotto Desh has profound messages about the stories and memories we hold dear, for children and adults alike.
For children aged 7+
Artistic Direction and Original Choreography Akram Khan
Direction and Adaptation Sue Buckmaster (Theatre-Rites)
Music Composition Jocelyn Pook
Lighting Design Guy Hoare
Stories imagined by Karthika Naïr and Akram Khan
The grandmother’s fable in Chotto Desh is taken from the book The Honey Hunter
Written by Karthika Naïr, Sue Buckmaster and Akram Khan
Assistant Choreographer Jose Agudo
Grandmother’s voice Leesa Gazi
Jui’s voice Sreya Andrisha Gazi
Dancers Dennis Alamanos or Nicolas Ricchini