Thikra

World Premiere: 25 January 2025, AlUla Arts Festival
World Premiere of indoor adaptation: 22 June 2025, Montpellier Danse Festival

Thikra: Night of Remembering is Akram Khan Company’s latest production created in collaboration with award-winning visual artist Manal AlDowayan.

Thikra draws inspiration from AlUla’s ancient landscapes, mythology and cultural heritage to evoke the idea that “without a past, there is no future.”

Combining Bharatanatyam and contemporary voices, the piece is performed by an all-female ensemble, accompanied by an original score from Aditya Prakash, sound design by Gareth Fry, lighting by Zeynep Kepekli and dramaturgy by Blue Pieta.

 

"As I stand humbled within the vastness of this epic desert known as AlUla, I feel the urge to unearth the many cultures that have passed through here."

Akram Khan

Thikra: Night of Remembering

By Maxime Dos

Trailer

00:00
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00:00

Thikra: Night of Remembering

Videos by Maxime Dos

Premiere

1:00

Hair

0:48

Ceremony

0:57

Mother

0:57

Credits

Akram Khan
Choreographer
Manal AlDowayan
Visual Director
Mavin Khoo
Associate Artistic Director / Coach
Aditya Prakash
Music Composer
Gareth Fry
Sound Designer
Zeynep Kepekli
Lighting Designer
Blue Pieta
Dramaturge
Charlotte Pook
Rehearsal Director
Angela Towler
Rehearsal Director
Chris Tudor
Rehearsal Director

Director / Choreographer Akram Khan

Visual Director / Costume and Scenography Manal AlDowayan
Narrative Concept Manal AlDowayan & Akram Khan
Associate Artistic Director / Coach Mavin Khoo
Composer & Soundscape Designer Aditya Prakash
Sound Designer Gareth Fry
Lighting Designer Zeynep Kepekli
Associate Lighting Designer Imogen Clarke
Dramaturge Blue Pieta

Rehearsal Directors Charlotte Pook, Angela Towler, Chris Tudor

Performed by 9-11 dancers
Tanisha Addicott, Pallavi Anand, Laura Bufano, Ching-Ying Chien, Amrita Doshi, Ekta Doshi, Kavya Ganesh, Shreya Kannan, Madoka Kariya, Azusa Seyama Prioville, Aishwarya Raut, Nikita Rao, Divya Ravi, Joy Alpuerto Ritter, Rohini Shetty, Elpida Skourou, Mei Fei Soo, Seren Williams

Musicians (in recorded composition)
Aditya Prakash, Ananya Ashok, Loulwa Al Sharif, Melanie Pappenheim, Sohini Alam, Zafer Tawil, Sumesh Narayanan, Layth Sidiq, Megan Shung, Jay Julio, Naseem Alatrash, Guhan Venkataraman, Doyeon Kim, Dimitris Menexopoulos, Isaac Alderson, Sushma Soma, Praveen Sparsh, V. Prakash Ilayaraja, N Deepan, N Vijay, M Rajendran, Chris Votek

Featured music in score
“Gyura Beli Belo Platno” by London Bulgarian Choir
Directed by Dessislava Stefanova

“The Elephant’s Funeral” by Sushma Soma with Aditya Prakash

Site-Specific Community Engagement Programme Director Christine Maupetit
Site-Specific Community Movement Directors Jumana Al Refai and Bilal Allaf

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