This special studio-based breakfast event features excerpts from Akram Khan’s new work, Vertical Road.
Vertical Road is Akram Khan’s latest contemporary ensemble work, and continues his ambition to explore the interface between different cultures and creative disciplines. Khan brings together a host of performers and artists from across Asia, Europe and the Middle East, diverse in age, craft and background. Potential collaborators include composer Nitin Sawhney and acclaimed puppeteers duo Blind Summit.
Inspired by stories of angels as found in different cultures, faiths and mythologies, Vertical Road contemplates their universal role as intermediaries between the human and the sacred. It investigates the notion of the Arabic word ‘zenith’ or ‘vertical line’, the highest point reached by a celestial body. Through the innovative use of scenography, Vertical Road aims to create both a visually inspiring and spiritually profound experience.
The piece will premiere in October 2010 at Sadler’s Wells, London, before embarking on an international tour across North America, Europe, India, Asia, North Africa and the Middle East.