DESH is such an incredible manifestation of creative collaboration.

Needless to mention Akram Khan’s dance, which has always been amazing. this piece is beyond a dance; it’s a holistic performance with such an impact that my heart literally trembled.

Although the piece is almost an autobiography about Akram’s connection with Bangladesh and his relationship with his father, I felt deeply immersed in the story because essentially, like Akram said, it is all about the human emotions. The sense of belonging, the issue of identity, the collision and the connections of generations, the inner child in each of us…

Someone from the audience asked whether Akram tries to communicate certain deeper meanings through the piece, and Akram smiled and said no – but, those around me who slightly shaked their heads with a smile, as I myself did, I assume they would agree with me – what could possibly be deeper than the struggle of humanity that this piece has beautifully presented in front of our eyes?

The multimedia and the animation used throughout the piece, they are not technically groundbreaking or anything, but they are absolutely breath-taking. You know that they are not in there because it’s ‘trendy’ to use technology but simply because they work wonderfully in the piece.

I feel so fortunate to have witnessed the London première at Sadler’s Wells, even more so to hear Akram himself speak about the process and inspiration after the show

Unfortunately tomorrow is the last performance for now, and the tickets have been sold out a long time ago. However, Sadler’s Wells did promise to bring it back sometime soon. I do hope they do. DESH is a performance not to be missed, and one I would always remember, close to my heart.

Visual Design by Tim Yip

Music Composition by Jocelyn Pook

Lighting Design by Michael Hulls

Stories written by Karthika Nair, PolarBear and Akram Khan

Visual Animation by Yeast Culture