Akram Khan Company: Jungle Book reimagined

Akram Khan’s signature choreography, blending Kathak and contemporary dance, delivers a bold adaptation of Kipling’s classic tale which explores urgent themes such as climate change and human displacement. Akram and his team have reimagined the journey of Mowgli through the eyes of a refugee caught in a world devastated by the impact of climate change. This is the story of a child who will help us to listen again – not to our voices but to the voices of the natural world that we, the modern world, try to silence.

Audiences are promised “a visually stunning and emotionally charged experience”, which is broadly what you expect from a Khan piece … The script is by Tariq Jordan, with dramaturgy by Sharon Clark to an original score by Jocelyn Pook. Sound design comes from Gareth Fry, lighting by Michael Hulls, visual stage design by Miriam Buether, and video design and animation by YeastCulture the visual technology turns the stage into a magical world that dives into the myths of today.

Jungle Book reimagined is performed by ten dancers: Maya Balam Meyong, Bea Bidault, Ferghas Clavey, Harry Theadora Foster, Filippo Franzese, Bianca Mikahil, Jasper Narvaez, Max Revell, Matthew Sandiford, Elpida Skourou, Jan Mikaela Villanueva, Lani Yamanaka.

This performance is supported by the British Council in the UAE. There’s a second performance on 5 April.