World Premiere - Co-commissioned by The Arts Center
Aakash Odedra Company - #JeSuis
Contemporary Dance
Wednesday - Friday, Feb 7 - 9 @ 8pm | Friday, Feb 9 @ 2pm
The Black Box
Past Event
By popular demand additional show added
A new ensemble work choreographed by Aakash Odedra exploring the relevance of a life in conflict.
#JeSuis brings the lens upon a group of dancers whose place in the world is presented by the media as unwanted neighbours, countries where human catastrophes are a daily given.
Watch the trailer
Aakash Odedra has developed #JeSuis with a group of Turkish dancers he met in Istanbul. It is inspired by their collective responses to misinterpretations of their motherland by the media. Wrapped up in wider issues of displacement, refuge, and instability, both politically and geographically, it portrays their frustrations of life in a homeland that doesn’t know the meaning of “home” anymore. A place where people keep struggling for a sense of peace; where freedoms/choices are becoming luxury and the main hope is to be safe.
Aakash Odedra is an award winning, contemporary British dancer.
Aakash was born in Birmingham and trained in the classical Indian dance styles of Kathak (Nilima Devi, Leicester and Asha Joglekar, India) and Bharat Natyam (Chitraleka Bolar, Birmingham and Chhaya Kantaveh, India) . His early development in the United Kingdom saw support from Sampad (including support in a development bursary) and Akademi (through a major choreographic bursary). In 2009, Aakash performed a solo choreographed by Kumudini Lakhia titled ‘Maati Re’ at the Svapngata Festival at Sadler’s Wells curated by Akram Khan. Khan followed this with a period of m entorship, allowing Aakash to develop contemporary movement. He took part in the European Network of Performing Arts’ 2010 ChoreoLab in Serbia through Dance Umbrella. Also in 2010, he performed a duet with Sanjukta Sinha choreographed by Kumudini Lakhia titled ‘Tatha’ , He incorporates that training in a unique synthesis with contemporary dance, both in his choreography and his creations with other choreographers.
Aakash formed Aakash Odedra Company in 2011 as a vehicle for commissioning solos and for Aakash to develop his own choreographic work. His debut full length solo Rising featured new short works created on him by Khan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Russell Maliphant. As choreographer he was commissioned to create a piece for James Brown: Get on the Good Foot ( Apollo Theater , New York ) and the Opera God’s Little Soldier (Theater Freiburg), The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the closing of the London Cultural Olympiad. Aakash has received numerous awards and bursaries, , a Danza&Danza award (Italy), a Dora performance award (Canada), Audience Award Dance Week 2013 (Croatia) and a Sky Academy Arts Scholarship. In May 2014 Aakash Odedra Company presented Murmur (with Lewis Major and Ars Electronica Futurelab) and Inked (by Damien Jalet) at International Dance Festival Birmingham.
Part of the UK/UAE 2017 Year of Creative Collaboration led by the British Council.
Off The Stage
- Jan 29 @ 7pm – Dance Workshop
- An Introduction to Kathak Dance
- Aakash Odedra Company
- Experience level: Beginner upwards
- Aakash will teach the basis of Kathak, the ancient North Indian story-telling form.
Post show Q & A with Aakash Odedra and Company
Moderated by NYUAD student Rodrigo Silva Ferrerira
February 7
Pre show talk with Aakash Odedra,
Toby Harward Head of Office, UNHCR,
Debra Levine, Assistant Professor of Theater, NYUAD
Moderated by Hannah Henderson, Head of UK/UAE 2017,
British Council
February 8
Post show Q & A with Aakash Odedra and Company
Moderated by NYUAD student Nandini Kochar
February 8