Sydney Opera House will present Akram Khan’s iTMOi (in the mind of igor) by Akram Khan Dance Company this August/September. This new production comes exclusively to Sydney direct form its world premiere at the Maison de la Culture in Grenoble and a season at Sadlers Wells London.
Choreographed by Akram Khan to mark the 100th year since the provocative premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring in Paris, iTMOi captures the chaotic energy of the original, taking its vibrant spirit as the starting point for this new work.
Khan is renowned for his artistic collaborations and for this production he has worked with composers Nitin Sawhney, Ben Frost and Jocelyn Pook to develop a brand new score, inspired by Stravinsky’s work.
"In this work, I am interested in the dynamics of how Stravinsky transformed the classical world of music by evoking emotions through patterns, rather than through expression, and these patterns were rooted in the concept of a woman dancing herself to death, says Khan. “This approach is a huge inspiration to me but in a sense I hope to reinvestigate it, not just through patterns, as Stravinsky did, but also through exploring the human condition. A rupture in the mind, a death in the body, and a birth in the soul, all remind us that the mind and imagination are wild and self-generating.”
iTMOi (in the mind of igor) 29 August – 1 September, 8pm Sydney Opera House, Drama Theatre www.sydneyoperahouse.com
Photo: Richard Haughton
