Akram Khan Dance Company - We Are But Shadows

With the support of Darbar Festival, Akram Khan Company present: We are but Shadows. An evening comprised of two Indian classical works, both performed originally as part of Akram Khan and Mavin Khoo’s dance curation for the festival.

Jwala is a three-part production exploring the Sanskrit phrase ‘Jwala Vyapnoti Akasham’, meaning the Rising Light fills space, envisioning ‘Jwala’ as the flickering flame, a powerful symbol of life and spirit. Jwala explores the enigmatic quality of the flame: that which burns is that which simultaneously illuminates. Created after the passing of her father and the birth of her daughter, Jwala finds connection between death and life, between saying goodbye and looking ahead, between release and hope, between shedding and seeking.

Through dynamic choreography by Mythili Prakash, accompanied by an evocative musical score, Jwala seeks to summon the multiple resonances of the Rising Flame from the cosmic, to the temporal, and the spiritual.

In the second work of the evening, I am Ravana, an all-male Bharatanatyam ensemble from the Temple of Fine Arts Inner Space Dance perform choreography by Mavin Khoo, accompanied by female musicians and vocalist Chitra Poornima. Drawing from the musical tradition of Bhajan hymns, alluding to the spirit of Lord Rama, this new work explores three scenes from the Sanskrit epic Ramayana; the abduction of Sita, the building of the bridge by Rama’s army of monkeys and the killing of the demon God Ravana.