4 May 2020
Lockdown continues and so does our quest to keep our cultural hearts beating! This time, it's the wonderful choreography of Akram Khan that grabs our attention!
Khan was intrigued by the thought that the men dug into the earth to build trenches, knowing that they were very likely to die as soon as they stepped out of them. “They were digging themselves into death”, he says. As the piece progresses, the male dancers disappear – slowly climbing and falling off the edge of the set. The middle section of the work was inspired by the huge social shift towards women. “They needed weapons made for the war, they needed a huge workforce. I felt this shift in role was interesting”, says Khan.
In the final duet, Dust explores the relationship between them and their loved ones at the front: “The women knew they would be letting go of fathers, husbands, and sons; they might lose them. Yet they were making weapons that would kill others’ fathers, husbands, and sons. But in order for someone to live, someone else was putting their life on the line. That cyclical thing was what I wanted to explore.”
With beautiful costume design from Kimie Nakano, a stunning soundtrack from Jocelyn Pook and minimal set design from Sander Loonen - Dust is a sensory overload that leaves you touched on so many levels.
I first noticed the work of Akram Khan during the opening ceremony to London 2012. His piece shaped around mortality was haunting, powerful and extremely beautiful... It's worth watching!
10 out of 10
