Chotto Desh

Co-presented with SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs and Théâtre la Seizième NOTE: The performance on Thursday, November 22 will be in French/La performance du jeudi 22 novembre sera présenté en français. The performance on Saturday, November 24, 2pm will include ASL interpretation. Running Time: 50 minutes Speaking of Dance Post-show Talks: Thursday, November 22/jeudi 22 novembre – causerie post-spectacle en français avec Dennis Alamanos et Nicolas Ricchini. Saturday, November 24 – following the 2PM matinée performance. Host: Pia Lo (Globe Dancer). Guests: Dennis Alamanos and Nicolas Ricchini. VIEW PROGRAM NOTES Akram Khan’s Chotto Desh (‘small homeland’ in Bangladeshi) takes a storybook view of Khan’s childhood, growing up under the stern eye of his authoritarian father. Freely mixing Kathak dance with storytelling and mime, Khan creates a series of worlds that run from the ordinary to the mythic. While themes of exclusion and identity are wound throughout, the work is light on its feet and filled with a luminous humanity that grounds the fantastical in the universal. Composer Jocelyn Pook and children’s theatre director Sue Buckmaster add richly embroidered detail to Khan’s lyrical and often deeply funny vignettes. From a surly teenager practicing Michael Jackson’s crotch-grabs in his bedroom to a man fully in control of his artistry and his destiny – Chotto Desh captures the complex relationship between parent and child, and the pain and joy of growing up with astounding delicacy and beauty.