DANCE
THIKRA – NIGHT OF REMEMBERING
Thikra, meaning “memory”, “recollection”, “thoughts of the past” or “remembrance” in Arabic, is a contemporary dance performance exploring the idea that without a past, there is no future.
In Akram Khan Company’s latest production, Thikra: Night of Remembering, past and present converge in a journey through tradition, honouring our ancestors and drawing deeply on the power of ritual.
Inspired by diverse cultures and their sacred practices, Khan explores contemporary existence and identity, affirming the continuing presence of ancestral spirits. With scenography and costumes by award-winning visual artist Manal AlDowayan, the work creates a space where memory, heritage and ritual meet.
Featuring original music by Aditya Prakash, sound design by Gareth Fry, lighting by Zeynep Kepekli, dramaturgy by Blue Pieta, and an all-female international cast of contemporary and Bharatanatyam dancers, Thikra weaves a universal yet deeply personal reflection on the rituals and histories that shape our shared humanity.
Running time: 65 minutes.
CREDITS
Director / Choreographer Akram Khan
Visual Director / Costume and Scenography Manal AlDowayan
Narrative Concept Manal AlDowayan & Akram Khan
Music Composer and Soundscape Designer Aditya Prakash
Sound Designer Gareth Fry
Lighting Designer Zeynep Kepekli
Creative Associate / Coach Mavin Khoo
Dramaturge Blue Pieta
Rehearsal Directors Charlotte Pook, Angela Towler and Chris Tudor
Musicians (in recorded composition) Aditya Prakash, Loulwa Al Sharif, Sushma Soma, Ananya Ashok, Melanie Pappenheim, Sohini Alam, London Bulgarian Choir, Zafer Tawil, M Vijay, N Rajan, N. Deepan, Dimitris Menexopoulos, Amal Waqar, Zafer Tawil, Naseem Alatrash, Layth Sidiqi, Megan Shung, Guhan Venkataraman, Jay Julio, Megan Shung, Isaac Alderson, Sumesh Narayanan, V. Prakash Ilayaraja, Ayesh Hodayban Alkhamaaly AlEnezi, Maged Ahmed ElAtiek, Tarek Saleh ElAtiek, Sultan Gaber El Alawi and Haitham Ahmed Mohamed
Dancers Pallavi Anand, Ching-Ying Chien, Kavya Ganesh, Nikita Goile, Samantha Hines, Jyotsna Jagannathan, Mythili Prakash, Azusa Seyama Prioville, Divya Ravi, Aishwarya Raut, Mei Fei Soo, Harshini Sukumaran, Shreema Upadhyaya, Kimberly Yap, Hsin-Hsuan Yu, Jin Young Won
Commissioned by Wadi AlFann, Valley of the Arts, AlUla
Primary Co-producing Partner Bagri Foundation
Indoor adaptation co-produced by Berliner Festspiele, Brown Arts Institute at Brown University, Montpellier Danse Festival, Pina Bausch Zentrum, Sadler’s Wells, Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Théâtre de la Ville Paris
Supported by Arts Council England