Akram Khan's Dance Company Ends 25-Year Run with All-Female Saudi Desert-Inspired Farewell

Akram Khan's "Thikra: Night of Remembering" is a significant and evocative farewell production marking the end of his company after 25 years. Inspired by the ancient Saudi Arabian town of AlUla and created in collaboration with visual artist Manal AlDowayan, this all-female ritual dance piece blends contemporary and classical Bharatanatyam styles to explore themes of memory, ancestry, and freedom. The show, originally performed outdoors in the desert, has been adapted for an indoor setting at Sadler's Wells, evoking a powerful atmosphere through a layered soundscape and evocative visuals. Khan's choreography powerfully shapes the ensemble to convey a narrative that blurs the lines between past and present, memory and reality, through the portrayal of a tribe of women commemorating an ancestor who taught them to be free. Despite some criticism of the production's lighting and occasional narrative clarity, "Thikra" is widely praised as a hypnotic, thrilling, and spellbinding ritual that highlights Khan's evolving artistic direction as he moves on from his company. The piece also challenges traditional narratives by centering female experiences in a culturally rich and visually arresting performance.