Akram Khan Company: Thikra – Night of Remembering review – forget the meaning, feel the colour and emotion

<p><strong>Sadler’s Wells, London</strong><br>The mythological piece for 12 female dancers was developed in Saudi Arabia and pulsates with physical intensity and ancestral rage</p><p>Akram Khan is a choreographer at his best when he seems to be working on instinct. Often with his work it’s less important to ask what it means, more how it feels; not to work out exactly how he’s meshed different dance forms or redrawn mythical stories, but to get immersed in its sensory impact.</p><p>Thikra has plenty going on in that area. The piece was made earlier this year for an arts festival at Wadi AlFann, a new “cultural destination” in AlUla, an ancient oasis city and trade route in the Saudi Arabian desert. It’s a collaboration with London-based Saudi artist Manal AlDowayan, who originally built her rocky set on the desert sand. And you can imagine the early scenes of the 60-minute piece having an impact in a vast outdoor setting. Khan has a strong graphic sense, the 12 dancers in unison in bold type and satisfying lines that cut and splice. It’s crisply danced by the all-female cast, all with long hair swishing in sync.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/oct/29/akram-khan-company-thikra-night-of-remembering-review-sadlers-wells-london">Continue reading...</a>