A landmark anniversary brings a UK premiere and a family favourite to London stages.
This autumn, one of Britain’s most distinctive dance companies celebrates a milestone. The Akram Khan Company, founded in 2000 and now a fixture of the international dance landscape, marks 25 years with a residency at Sadler’s Wells. Across its Islington and Stratford venues, the company will present new work, Thikra: Night of Remembering, alongside the return of its family production Chotto Desh.
For audiences who have followed Khan’s career from early solos to major collaborations, the season is both retrospective and forward-looking. It also underlines his long association with Sadler’s Wells, where he has been an Associate Artist for more than two decades.
A Legacy of Innovation
Khan’s choreography has always combined inheritance and invention, rooted in the classical discipline of kathak while seeking out contemporary languages. Over the past quarter-century, his company has toured globally, produced works for opera houses and Olympic ceremonies, and consistently expanded the scope of what dance might convey.
TheQR’s review of Jungle Book Reimagined at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2022 described the production as “a show of the highest qualities in its execution, and a theatrical experience not to be missed.” That sense of bold theatricality, allied to discipline and clarity, remains central to the anniversary programme.
The Akram Khan Company, founded in 2000 and now a fixture of the international dance landscape, marks 25 years with a residency at Sadler’s Wells.
Thikra: Night of Remembering
At the heart of the season is Thikra: Night of Remembering, receiving its UK premiere at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in Islington from 28 October to 1 November. Conceived with Saudi visual artist Manal AlDowayan, the piece features an all-female cast of contemporary and Bharatanatyam dancers.
The Arabic title translates as “memory” or “remembrance.” Khan and AlDowayan draw on ritual, mythology and cultural heritage to explore ancestry and the transmission of knowledge. The production was first staged earlier this year in the desert landscape of AlUla, Saudi Arabia, and arrives in London with an original score by Aditya Prakash, sound design by Gareth Fry, and AlDowayan’s scenography.
For Khan, the work is both personal and collective: “Thikra is a personal and spiritual reflection on memory — on what we choose to carry forward and what we must lay to rest,” he says. “As co-founders, Farooq and I are incredibly grateful to everyone who has walked with us — from our earliest supporters to those discovering the work for the first time.”
AlDowayan, whose work has appeared at the British Museum, Centre Pompidou and Guggenheim, represented Saudi Arabia at the Venice Biennale in 2024. Her collaboration here lends Thikra both visual ambition and cultural reach.
Chotto Desh Returns
Alongside Thikra, the company revives Chotto Desh (“small homeland”), adapted by Sue Buckmaster from Khan’s Olivier Award-winning solo DESH. Running at Sadler’s Wells East in Stratford from 30 October to 1 November, it offers younger audiences a story that moves between Britain and Bangladesh, blending dance, spoken text and projected animation.
Khan describes it as a chance to introduce his company’s work to a new generation: “I’m also excited that Chotto Desh, so thoughtfully reimagined by Sue Buckmaster for young audiences, is part of this season as we introduce part of our story to a new generation at Sadler’s Wells East.”
The production has toured internationally and remains one of the company’s most accessible entry points. In Stratford, performances will be accompanied by a family workshop that combines dance and storytelling.
“As co-founders, Farooq and I are incredibly grateful to everyone who has walked with us — from our earliest supporters to those discovering the work for the first time.”
Akram Khan
Sadler’s Wells Connection
Sadler’s Wells has been central to Khan’s journey, presenting his work since his early career. As Artistic Director Sir Alistair Spalding notes: “Akram has been a pillar of our programme since I joined Sadler’s Wells, becoming one of our very first Associate Artists, and we’re therefore really pleased to be sharing not one, but two works to celebrate 25 years of Akram Khan Company. Akram is one of the seminal choreographic voices working today and you can see why in each of these shows.”
The dual staging — one work in the main house, another in the newly opened Stratford venue — also reflects the theatre’s commitment to reaching different audiences, from international dance followers to local families.
Memory and Renewal
Over 25 years, Akram Khan Company has continually reshaped its language, from Until the Lions to Giselle for English National Ballet. The new work extends this trajectory by interrogating how memory can be embodied and transmitted through ritual and performance.
Khan frames the season as both commemoration and conclusion: “Marking the 25th anniversary of Akram Khan Company by sharing our new and final production, Thikra: Night of Remembering, with our London audiences feels like a full circle moment; an opportunity to honour the past, the people and the stories that have shaped our journey.”
Closing Notes
For British audiences, the residency is more than an anniversary marker. It offers a first chance to see Thikra in a UK theatre, alongside the return of a family production that has charmed audiences around the world. It is also a reminder of how far the company has travelled since its founding, and of the role Sadler’s Wells has played in that journey.
Khan puts it simply: “I’m looking forward to gathering for this moment, to reflect, remember and celebrate together.”
Featured Image: Akram Khan, Thikra A Night of Remembering Image Credit Camilla Greenwell
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