Akram Khan, Israel Galvan

Akram Khan is one of the most celebrated and respected dance artists today. In just over a decade, he has created an imaginative, highly accessible and relevant body of work including productions such as DESH, Vertical Road, Gnosis and zero degrees. The multi award-winning Israel Galván has been at the forefront of contemporary flamenco for 20 years. Galván is known for his innovative choreography and exquisite dancing technique.

With this unique artistic exchange, Khan and Galván made TOROBAKA by bringing together kathak and flamenco to create something new, distinctive and defying classification or genre.

Returning after its highly anticipated UK premiere at Sadler’s Wells in Autumn 2014, TOROBAKA takes its name from a Maori-inspired phonetic poem by Tristan Tzara. The bull (toro) and the cow (vaca) are sacred animals in the dancers’ two traditions and represent the coming together of dance styles. Rather than mimicking one another, Khan and Galván create something new by better understanding each other’s approaches to their craft.