Akram Khan’s Desh presented as part of Lincoln Center’s “White Light Festival” (November 6-7) was simply magical. In Desh, the Bengali word for “homeland,” Khan tells his own tale as a Bangladeshi through encounters with his father, his family, his heritage and really expensive visual aids. Khan can carry a huge stage like The Rose Theater by himself, no doubt, but the grandeur of scenic elements by Tim Yip, gives pause. On a scrim, there was the forest filled with animals and lush plant life—so wonderfully real when Khan would “climb the tree,” or the showering strips of white panels bunched together like dancing clouds that Khan later ran his finger thorough, back and forth across the stage. Equally rich are moments like his characterization of his father, (eyes and mouth painted on his bald head, tilted forward) conversing humorously and unequivocally about life, or sharing a story with his daughter (at least we think so). Khan is a brilliant mover, he is a commanding performer, and here, in this melding of his deconstructed, albeit brief contemporized Katak dancing, he scores.
Experience a bit of Desh below:
Experience a bit of Desh below:
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