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Available onlineThree hours of dance, music and insightful interviews – including reminiscences from Danny Boyle – celebrate the creative power of one of the greatest dancers of the 21st century
It’s the 20th anniversary of Akram Khan’s dance company. The moment should have been marked with a celebratory season at Sadler’s Wells featuring Khan’s final solo performance on the London stage. Instead, we have The Silent Burn Project, a collection of films and interviews giving insights into Khan’s work. It’s no substitute for live performance, but a reminder of what an impactful artist Khan has been – without doubt one of the best dancers of the 21st century, but also instrumental in initiating cross-cultural conversations between dance languages, primarily north Indian kathak and western contemporary dance.
Of the three hours of Silent Burn’s online stream, less than 25 minutes is actually dance, just four specially filmed extracts from existing pieces, plus a postscript from Khan. There are five music films, too, ranging from the dextrous vocals and vibrant rhythms of BC Manjunath, sitting on the steps of a Karnataka temple, to the ethereal sound of singer and double bassist Nina Harries on windswept Tottenham Marshes. Continue reading...