The renowned dancer and choreographer Akram Khan returns to the Romaeuropa Festival, presenting the national premiere of his new production at the Teatro Brancaccio. Created in collaboration with the award-winning visual artist Manal AlDowayanche, the work brings together an international cast of Bharatanatyam and contemporary Western dancers in an encounter between cultures, traditions, and perspectives.
Born in London in 1974, Akram Khan is one of the most acclaimed dance artists worldwide. Over 24 years, he has created impactful works that blend North Indian Kathak dance and contemporary dance, telling powerful and relevant stories. He has worked with artists such as Juliette Binoche, Sylvie Guillem, Florence and the Machine, Anish Kapoor, and Nitin Sawhney, and has received numerous awards, including the Laurence Olivier Award and the Bessie Award. In 2022, he was named Chancellor of De Montfort University. Manal AlDowayan is one of Saudi Arabia’s most significant contemporary artists: her work, which spans photography, sound, sculpture, and participatory practice, explores traditions, collective memory, and the role of women. Her works have been exhibited in prestigious international institutions, and in 2024 she represented Saudi Arabia at the Venice Biennale.
Conceived in the ancient oasis city of AlUla, in the northwestern desert of Saudi Arabia, Thikra (Arabic for “memory”, “remembrance”, “commemoration”) uses dance to convey the idea that without a past, there can be no future. At night, memory and the present merge, guided by ancestral knowledge, the power of remembrance, and collective healing. However, Thikra is not merely a dialogue between East and West; rather, it emerges from the collaboration between the performers, bringing forth the traditions and rituals inherent in Bharatanatyam while reframing them through a contemporary lens. The collective voice of this all-female ensemble transcends stylistic boundaries, emphasizing lived experience, the continuous transformation of civilization, and the deep connections between memory and identity.
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