A tale of identity and confusion
Choreographer’s multicultural childhood inspires a dance show for both children and adults
Based on a solo piece by UK choreographer Akram Khan, Chotto Desh fuses Indian classical dance, storytelling, mime, and life-size animation in a show for adults and kids ages seven and up. The work hits on themes of home, identity, belonging in a multicultural world, and growing up, and was developed by Sue Buckmaster, artistic director of a company that specializes in experimental theatre for children. We talked to Khan about Chotto Desh, call centres, and Michael Jackson.
QWas Desh always intended to be adapted for a work suitable for children?
ADesh exists within the magical realm, let’s say. In Desh I
go back to my childhood so there’s a lot of returning to the childhood character. The original narrative lends itself to the imagination of children. So it felt very organic when we went into Chotto Desh.
QIsn’t that unusual in contemporary dance, to turn a solo piece into a theatrical piece that can be enjoyed by children?
AI think what’s unusual about it is that my work has never been adapted for children. And the other unusual thing is that it’s about identity, and the confusion when we’re teenagers of so many different cultures bombarding us: are we Asian, are we Bangladeshi, are we British? In a sense, most children are from somewhere else. We’re all immigrants, really.
QThe show features one dancer each night, but two people (Dennis Alamanos and Nicolas Ricchini) alternate in the role. Was it important that the dancers were able to act as well?
AVery much so. You have to be a kind of all-rounder for this kind of work. As a child, I was hugely influenced by Bruce Lee, Michael Jackson, Muhammad Ali, Fred Astaire, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton. Those inspirations are in the work.
QIs it fair to say this show has a little more narrative than most contemporary dance shows?
AIt’s definitely edited in a way that remains closer to literal narrative. There’s abstract narrative too. Sue (Buckmaster, director) didn’t want to live so clearly in the spiritual realm. We stayed very much in the theatrical space. Desh is longer. There’s are also new scenes that are not in Desh, that are more theatrical.
QDesh begins with the protagonist who, calling a number to unfreeze his phone, ends up talking to a 12-year-old in Bangladesh. Was that your original inspiration? A:
Yes. It happens a lot. You make a phone call to your bank, or to resolve your phone issues, from England, or America, or wherever, and they outsource it (the service).
QWhat was your childhood like? Were you going back and forth between London and Bangladesh?
AMostly in England, in London, but I spent some time in Bangladesh, especially during the holidays. It was confusing really. I had a pleasant childhood but my father wanted me to be Bangladeshi because he saw that I was copying Michael Jackson all the time, I was dancing all the time. He wanted me to be more academic, he wanted me to be Bangladeshi. Which I still to this day don’t quite know what that means. Basically, he wanted to see himself in me.
QYou mention Michael Jackson, but there’s Indian classical dance in your work too. Did that come from Bangladesh or was that filtered through your time in London?
AThrough my time in London. My mother pushed me into Indian classical dance. They felt it was good for me because I was doing so many Michael Jackson imitations, and doing so much break-dancing. And they felt, If he likes to dance, why doesn’t he include Indian classical dance? Which was closer to them.