Theater YOUNG’s drama season begins with Akram Khan’s dance

Akram Khan Company’s “Jungle Book reimagined” has opened Theater YOUNG’s international drama season “Autumn Is.”

The season will feature eight productions by troupes from six countries.

Based on Nobel Prize winner Rudyard Kipling’s classic family story, Jungle Book Reimagined is English dancer and choreographer Akram Khan’s retelling of the beloved classic. Mowgli’s journey is reimagined through the eyes of a refugee girl in a world devastated by climate change.

The performance is also a recommended work of the 23rd China Shanghai International Arts Festival, which officially begins next week.

The original book has been adapted into many films and animations. Khan’s relationship with the Jungle Book dates back to his childhood, when he played the role of Mowgli in an Indian dance version at the age of 10.

“The story has always been close to me because it has three profound lessons,” Khan said in an earlier interview. “They are the commonality between species, the binding interrelationship between humans, animals and nature and our need to belong to a family.”

Khan said he was aware of the profound messages of the original work while also recognizing the power and relevance of those messages for today’s world.

“We are living in unprecedented and uncertain times, not just for humans but for all species on this planet,” he said.

“The root cause is that we have forgotten our connection to our home and our planet. We all inhabit it, take something from it, build on it, but we have forgotten to pay our respects to it.”

Khan believes this story is best told through the integration and magic of dance, music and theater.

Jungle Book Reimagined is largely based on non-physical sets, including projections and film. The dancers interpret different animals with their movements. Using projections, they bring the sea and the jungle onto the stage.

Other recommended performances of the drama season include “Hamlet” by the German theater group Schaubühne (November 1-3) and “Every Woman” (November 8-10), a joint production by the Swiss theater director Milo Rau and the Swiss Actress Ursina Lardi.

The Brazilian theater group Armazém will present “Brás Cubas” from October 25th to 27th.

If you go:

Venue: Theater YOUNG

Address: 1155 Kongjiang Rd, Yangpu District 杨浦区控江路1155号