Magical tale takes audience on journey
Storytelling and dance extravaganza
“Magical” and “mesmerizing ” are the words most frequently used to describe Abram Khan’s Chotto Desh. It’s a dance and storytelling extravaganza born in Bangladesh, created in Britain and now touring the world.
It took the joint sponsorship of Springboard Performance, StoryBook Theatre and Mount Royal’s Taylor Centre Concert Series to bring Chotto Desh to Calgary for five performances during its threeday whistlestop visit at the Bella Concert Hall Nov. 14-16.
“Abram Khan is one of the most inventive choreographers working anywhere in the world today and, as a result of this reputation, he is afforded the kind of budgets and production values available to very few other independent dance companies. To see a work of this scale aimed at a family audience is truly rare for Calgary,” says Nicole Mion of Springboard Performance.
Chotto Desh is the story of a young man’s journey from his homeland in Bangladesh to his adopted home in Britain. It is told through, dance, movement, voiceovers and, most astonishingly, through the use of animation to create various locations, animals, birds and fish.
The dancer who performs the show shaves his head and paints a face on his bald pate so that he becomes his own puppet, that helps him tell the story.
In 2011, Khan created his show for adults. Then simply called Desh, it was a hit with audiences and critics alike, but he noticed how his show captivated children who came with their parents. In 2015, he revamped the show for family audiences.
It’s a story that resonates ... This is an inspiring tale of the resilience of the human spirit in our modern world.
"It’s a story that resonates so very well today,” Mion says. “It’s the story of a small boy who leaves his birthplace where his heart still remains but journeys to a new land looking for untold opportunities. This is an inspiring tale of the resilience of the human spirit in our modern world.
“Chotto Desh is so mesmerizing because Khan has both classical ballet and contemporary dance sensibilities that he learned in Britain but he has never lost the cultural sensibility that is so much a part of his heritage in Bangladesh.”