From: Gulb Marketing [gulbmarketing_at_kent_dot_ac_dot_uk]

Sent: 18 November 2015 15:10

Subject: Chotto Desh at Gulbenkian

Visit our press site for images: http://www.thegulbenkian.co.uk/about-us/press/index.html

MOKO Dance and Akram Khan Company

Chotto Desh

Wed 25 Nov 7pm

An adaptation of Akram Khan?s award-winning solo DESH; Chotto Desh is directed by Sue Buckmaster (artistic director of Theatre-Rites, UK) and is Khan?s first stage production specially made for children. The MOKO Dance UK Tour will be at Gulbenkian on Wednesday 25 November at 7pm.

Based on Khan?s internationally acclaimed solo DESH (2011), Chotto Desh is an adaptation of the original masterpiece, specially created for young audiences aged 7+ years and their families and school groups, and tells the universal story of one young man trying to find his balance in an unstable world.

Chotto Desh, meaning ?small homeland? in Bengali, is a deeply personal exploration of the power of the human spirit in the face of adversity and investigates the impact that cultural identity can have on us whilst growing up. Drawing from Khan?s unique quality of storytelling, Chotto Desh?s inventive use of dance, text, sound and visuals creates a dreamlike magical world that offers young audiences a relevant, and enriching artistic experience.

Akram Khan said: ?I am thrilled that DESH has been adapted for young audiences and very excited to see how it continues to grow under Sue?s direction. Her expertise in making work for younger audiences brings a new and exciting vision, and I look forward to seeing how the stories of growing up between cultures across generations and the concept of home are being re-told.?

Sue Buckmaster said: ?Chotto Desh is very pertinent right now as our young people are experiencing increased pressure associated with a multicultural society. It will inspire children to think about their own stories and perhaps make their own autobiographical art full of truth and beauty. It is a privilege and a pleasure to direct this new performance.?

Chotto Desh is co-commissioned by MOKO Dance, Akram Khan Company, Sadler's Wells London, DanceEast, Th??tre de la Ville Paris, Mercat de les Flors Barcelona, Biennale de la danse de Lyon 2016 and Stratford Circus Arts Centre. Produced by AKCT. Supported by Arts Council England, MOKO Dance is a national dance partnership dedicated to opening the eyes of children and their families to the power of dance.

The performance will be accompanied by MOKO Dance creative dance workshops and arts based family foyer activities inspired by Chotto Desh, available pre and/or post show. See venue websites for details.Chotto Desh will be at Gulbenkian on Wednesday 25 November at 7pm.

  Tickets are ?7.50 & Family Group (4+) ?6.50 (Baby on lap ?1). The show is suitable for ages 7+ and their families.  For more information and tickets please visit www.thegulbenkian.co.uk, or call 01227 769075.

ENDS.

Press Contact:

For interviews please contact, Rachel Tarkenter, Head of Communications & Development, DanceEast Tel: 01473 295242, Mob: 07980 863263 Email: rachel.tarkenter_at_danceeast_dot_co_dot_uk

For more information, press tickets and images please contact:
Jess Thomas, Marketing Officer, 01227 827956, j.l.thomas_at_kent_dot_ac_dot_uk
David Yard, Head of Marketing, 01227 824688, d.yard_at_kent_dot_ac_dot_uk

Or visit our press site for images: http://www.thegulbenkian.co.uk/about-us/press/index.html

About Gulbenkian

Gulbenkian is a key part of the University of Kent?s Arts Centre offering innovative, engaging and high quality arts activity for and with the public, staff and students. It provides a key role in delivering the University of Kent?s commitment to Public Engagement proving an interface between the University and the local and wider community Gulbenkian has a particular commitment to the creative empowerment of children and young people and talent development.

Arts Council England NPO

On 1 April 2015, Gulbenkian became an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. To find out more about this please see the Arts Council England website.

About Akram Khan (Artistic Direction and Original Choreography)

Akram Khan is one of the most celebrated and respected dance artists today. In just over fifteen years he has created a body of work that has contributed significantly to the arts in the UK and abroad. His reputation has been built on the success of imaginative, highly accessible and relevant productions such as DESH, iTMOi, Vertical Road, Gnosis and zero degrees.

An instinctive and natural collaborator, Khan has been a magnet to world-class artists from other cultures and disciplines. His previous collaborators include the National Ballet of China, actress Juliette Binoche, ballerina Sylvie Guillem, choreographers/dancers Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Israel Galv?n, singer Kylie Minogue, visual artists Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormley and Tim Yip, writer Hanif Kureishi and composers Steve Reich, Nitin Sawhney, Jocelyn Pook and Ben Frost. Khan?s work is recognised as being profoundly moving, in which his intelligently crafted storytelling is effortlessly intimate and epic. Described by the Financial Times as an artist "who speaks tremendously of tremendous things", a recent highlight of his career was the creation of a section of the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony that was received with unanimous acclaim.

Khan has been the recipient of numerous awards throughout his career including the Laurence Olivier Award, the Bessie Award (New York Dance and Performance Award), the prestigious ISPA International Society for the Performing Arts) Distinguished Artist Award, the Fred and Adele Astaire Award, the Herald Archangel Award at the Edinburgh International Festival, the South Bank Sky Arts Award and six Critics' Circle National Dance Awards. Khan was awarded an MBE for services to dance in 2005. He is also an Honorary Graduate of Roehampton and De Montfort Universities, as well as University of London, and Honorary Fellow of Trinity Laban.

About Sue Buckmaster (Direction and Adaptation)

Sue is the Artistic Director of Theatre-Rites and the fourth generation of theatre practitioners in her family. She has many years of experience as a director, puppetry specialist and teacher, and has worked with a wide variety of companies including the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Young Vic and Complicite. In 2015, as well as directing Chotto Desh she will create Beasty Baby; a co-production between Polka Theatre and Theatre-Rites for 3 to 6 year olds, which will run from October 2015 to January 2016.

Sue has created ten theatre and eleven site-specific productions for Theatre-Rites. Under her artistic leadership the company has been commissioned by a number of high profile venues and festivals including the Barbican, Salzburg Festival, Unicorn Theatre, Ruhrtriennale Festival and the Vienna Festival. Together with choreographer Arthur Pita, Sue directed the award-winning Mischief, originally co-produced in 2007 by Sadler?s Wells, Theatre-Rites and the Dance Touring Partnerships.

2015, as well as directing Chotto Desh she will create Beasty Baby; a co-production between Polka Theatre and Theatre-Rites for 3 to 6 year olds, which will run from October 2015 to January 2016.Sue has created ten theatre and eleven site-specific productions for Theatre-Rites. Under her artistic leadership the company has been commissioned by a number of high profile venues and festivals including the Barbican, Salzburg Festival, Unicorn Theatre, Ruhrtriennale Festival and the Vienna Festival. Together with choreographer Arthur Pita, Sue directed the award-winning Mischief, originally co-produced in 2007 by Sadler?s Wells, Theatre-Rites and the Dance Touring Partnerships.