DANCE
Thikra – Night of Remembering 2025
Thikra, meaning “memory”, “recollection”, “thoughts of the past”, “remembrance” in Arabic, is a performance that evokes, through contemporary dance, the idea that “without a past, there is no future”.
In Akram Khan Company’s latest production, Thikra: Night of Remembering, the past and present converge in a journey through tradition to honour our ancestors, deeply rooted in the power of rituals.
Khan draws profound inspiration from diverse cultures that engage in these sacred practices, paying homage to those who came before us. With scenography and costume design by award-winning visual artist Manal AlDowayan, the piece delves into our contemporary existence and identity, affirming the presence of our ancestral spirits.
Featuring an original music composition by Aditya Prakash, sound design by Gareth Fry, lighting design 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 narrative.
Together, these creative voices invite us to reflect on our own heritage and the rituals that have shaped our shared humanity.
Duration : minutes 65 mins
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
Site-Specific Community Engagement Programme Director Christine Maupetit
Site-Specific Community Movement Directors Jumana Al Refai and Bilal Allaf
Producing Director Farooq Chaudhry
Executive Director Isabel Tamen
Production Manager Michael Cunningham
Production of Visual Direction Carla Giachello
Video Artist Maxime Dos
Company Manager Emma Cameron
Technical Stage Manager Harry Abbott
Touring Production Manager Anthony Forrester
Sound Engineer Enrico Aurigemma
Lighting Supervisor Stephane Dejours
Wardrobe Supervisor Anne Marie Bigby
Set Builder Tin Shed Scenery
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
Special thanks to Light Contrast, Peggy Housse, Mrs Khan, Yuko, Sayuri, Kenzo and Ayana Khan.