Chotto Desh is Bengali for ‘small homeland’. This charming production is an adaption, for children and families, of choreographer Akram Khan’s critically acclaimed 2011 show DESH. It explores the meaning of ‘home’ in a cross-cultural world, as well as being a personal tale of triumph over adversity.
Khan’s name alone was enough for me not to miss Chotto Desh – and I had no child to entertain. My expectations were high having seen various works by this renowned and versatile choreographer before. You may, without realising, have seen his work yourself, since Khan was commissioned by Danny Boyle to make part of the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony. Remember the bit with dancers bathed in orange sunlight, accompanied by Emilie Sande singing 'Abide With Me'?
Other past collaborators include artist Anthony Gormley, actress Juliette Binoche and singer Kylie Minogue. On DESH and Chotto Desh, credits include animator Tim Yip, best known for his work on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and composer Jocelyn Pook, whose film score for Eyes Wide Shut won her critical acclaim.
A blend of dance, animation, music, props and even shadowgraphy, Chotto Desh is loosely based on Khan’s experience of finding his own place in the world as a London-born Bangladeshi.
Beginning in the present we see Khan (Dennis Alamanos) struggle with his phone and make a call for help, only to find it answered by a young child in a Bangladesh-based tech support centre. Remembering his own childhood then, suddenly the sound of traffic noise floods the theatre and we see him dodge imaginary vehicles in what seems like a struggle just to survive.
In the confusion, his father’s exasperated demands permeate, pleading with him to conform to traditional Bangladeshi values and help with the family restaurant business. In one truly imaginative scene, Alamanos carefully applies paint to his bald head, bends forward and, to the delight of the audience, brings Khan’s father to life – nagging and wagging his fingers.
It is Khan’s mother who encourages him to follow his own path, her storytelling seemingly sparking his imagination along with a will to work hard to achieve his dream. The animated figure of a small boy appears on the set and, as Khan chases it, the whole stage is magically transformed into a mangrove forest thanks to the digital mastery of Tim Yip.
Travelling by boat through the forest, Alamanos blends ingeniously with the drawn elements of the set. He encounters birds, butterflies, fish, an alligator and even an elephant before climbing to the top of the tallest tree to reach a hive full of honey. The young audience was audibly delighted.
The choreography, masterfully performed by Alamanos, is contemporary but wide-ranging. The beautiful and intricate hand gestures of classical Kathak mesh seamlessly with modern dance; there’s even the briefest moment of Michael Jackson. The score, by Jocelyn Pook, incorporates the sounds of Bangladesh with classical Indian music and draws every element perfectly together. This is, without doubt, one of the most enchanting pieces of dance theatre I have seen.
Akram Khan Company and MOKO Dance performed at Lakeside Theatre Arts on Saturday November 14 2015
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
