The dancers are all trained in contemporary dance and they learn kathak from Khan as well as a colleague of his.
Equally integral to the latest production is the combination of musical talent -- including a Pakistani classical Sufi vocalist, a South Indian percussionist and a British cellist -- who will provide live music on stage along with recorded music by the Brussels-based Ictus Ensemble.
Ma, which refers to both mother and earth in Bengali, is composed from a text penned by writer Hanif Kureishi, whose works include The Buddha of Suburbia and My Beautiful Launderette. It is also loosely inspired by Arundhati Roy's collected essays The Algebra of Infinite Justice about farmers in India being removed from their land.
Addressing the "holiness" of the earth in India and much of South Asia, Khan said Ma questions contemporary societies' treatment or mistreatment of nature. "In India there are areas where many people still live off the earth and their relationship is very reciprocal. As the earth provides them with food and a livelihood, they take care of the land as a mother would a child," he said.
This will not be Akram Khan Company's first trip to Taiwan, the group performed Kaash to a full house at Novel Hall two years ago. Last time he was in Taiwan, Khan took in a performance of Taiwan's highly acclaimed dance group Cloud Gate and this time he is looking forward to seeing its latest production.
Khan will also hold workshops for students and teachers of dance at Taipei National University of the Arts on Sept. 26 and at the National Taiwan University of the Arts on Sept. 27.
Performance notes:
Who: Akram Khan Company presents its full-length production `Ma'
When: Thursday Sept. 23 until Saturday Sept. 25, all shows at 8pm
Where: Novel Hall (新舞台), at 3-1 Songshou Road, Taipei (臺北市松壽路３號)
Tickets: Available for between NT$500 and NT$1,200. Can be purchased by calling ERA ticketing at (02) 2341 9898, or by visiting their Web site at http://www.ticket.com.tw
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