Sadler’s Wells, London
November 20, 2024
Like his previous production, Outwitting the Devil, Akram Khan’s new Gigenis: the generation of the Earth takes inspiration from the Mahabharata. But whereas that earlier piece considered the overexploitation of nature, Gigenis is very much a human story.
Having started studying kathak as a child, Gigenis also sees the choreographer return to his Indian classical dance roots, although the work is not in any one style, instead bringing together six dancers from different backgrounds, plus the formidable Khan himself. And what joy it is to see him back on stage and as expressive as ever.
Based on a story from the Sanskrit epic, Gigenis centres on an aged mother reflecting on her past, who lost her husband to war, and whose two sons are feuding. As she reflects on three different stages of her life, child, wife and mother, it’s a work often full of sadness, one that constantly questions the need for violence, but also one that reflects deep love and hope.
Photo Maxime Dos, Productions Sarfati
With four fabulous live musicians and three just as good vocalists also in the mix, it’s a super hour or so of theatre, one in which bharatnatyam, kathak and kutiyattam come together with ease. And although using those classical Indian dance forms, it’s also a fine and very clear piece of storytelling, one that is easily understandable after no more than a cursory glance at the programme note.
Kapila Venu, a noted practitioner of kutiyattam, a Sanskrit theatre tradition from Kerala, cut an impactful figure as the aged female figure and the thread that holds the tale together.
Having the central character as daughter, wife and mother played by three other performers turns out to be an excellent decision. In total contrast to the melancholic way Venu reflects on the character’s past, Sirikalyani Adkoli, trained at Nrityagram Village, community a community of dedicated to the practice of odissi, was full of joy and lightness as the daughter. Wreathed in smiles, she skipped delightfully around the stage with all the carefree innocence of youth.
Vijna Vasudevan and Renjith Babu show a world of happiness in a charming duet as wife and husband (they are partners in real life too), a world full of love, But also a world suddenly interrupted by conflict. Gigenis makes excellent occasional use of voiceover (that can actually be heard above the music for once). “This is not war. It is the ending of the World,” we hear.
The duet includes hand gestures that look like the fluttering wings of a bird. For a remarkable few seconds, lighting designer Zeynep Kepekli makes them look like flames and a world burning.
But for all the music is fabulous, one of the hardest hitting moments, the husband’s death, comes in silence. And a silent scream.
in Gigenis: the generation of the Earth;
Photo Maxime Dos Productions Sarfati
Bharatanatyam artist Mythili Prakash represents the mother, with her two sons danced by Khan, originally trained in kathak, and Mavin Khoo, also from the bharatanatyam tradition. Khan was striking in turbulent solo, his head shaking, his whole body railing against, one senses, the whole world. When he circles and rotates, in one way it’s like he’s thrown around like clothes in a tumble dryer, and yet it’s equally as precise as can be. Khoo presents the opposite: slower, gentler and more considered.
Gigenis closes as it opens, in a breathtaking ensemble dance. It’s may not be as hard hitting, or as scenically spectacular as some of Akram Khan’s other works, but it’s a great hour, and one that shows clear storytelling still has something going for it.