This Sunday November 20, celebrated choreographer Akram Khan comes to Los Angeles with Chotto Desh. Translating as “small homeland” in Bengali, Chotto Desh tells the story of a young man with dreams of becoming a dancer. Born the son of a cook, the autobiographical story follows the young man from Britain to Bangladesh in a solo dance theater work that mixes dance, text, sound, interactive animation, and other visuals. Based on DESH, a lauded signature work of Khan’s that premiered in 2011, this work is reimagined and directed for children and their families by Sue Buckmaster of Theatre-Rites.
An Associate Artist at London’s Sadler’s Wells, Khan’s multi-award-winning work is widely recognized for combining both contemporary and Ancient Indian kathak dance forms and being both profound in substance and profoundly moving. In addition to creating work for the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremonies, I’ve always admired that he created a duet with actress Juliette Binoche, who to the best of my knowledge had little to no previous dance experience prior to working with Khan. And while I’ve to date not experienced it live, his work also looks to speak deeply about the human condition, which I love.
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A single matinee performance of Chotto Desh takes place this Sunday at Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC) and if the trailer below is any indication, it looks to be stunning and magical, and I think we can all use a little more magic in the world right now.
For tickets and information go to: http://www.valleyperformingartscenter.org/
Enjoy!
Founder/Director of Dare to Dance in Public Film Festival, Sarah Elgart is a Los Angeles based choreographer and director working under the auspice of Sarah Elgart | Arrogant Elbow. Sarah creates original content for stage, screen, and site-specific venues. Her stage and site-works have been performed at alternative spaces including LAX Airport, The Skirball Center, Mark Taper Forum, Van Nuys Flyaway, The Bradbury Building, Jacob’s Pillow, INSITU Site-Specific Festival NY, and Loft Seven, where she created a rooftop work lit entirely by a hovering helicopter accompanied by Nels Cline (Wilco). Her work has been produced by venues including The Music Center, MASS MoCA, Dance Place, Los Angeles Theater Center, Mark Taper Forum and The International Women’s Theater Festival. In film Sarah has worked with noted directors including JJ Abrams, David Lynch, Catherine Hardwicke, and Anton Corbijn. Her own films include award-winning music videos, dance shorts, and an Emmy nominated PSA, and continue to be accepted into festivals internationally. In addition to teaching dance and film, Sarah writes a regular column, ScreenDance Diaries that focuses on the intersections of both genres internationally for online magazine Cultural Weekly. Sarah’s work has received support from organizations that include the Rockefeller Foundation, the NEA, City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, California Arts Council and more. She is an alumna of the Sundance Institute’s Dance Film Lab, a Fellow of AFI’s Directing Women’s Workshop, and a director member of the DGA.