Akram Khan returns to Sadler's Wells as director and performer with GIGENIS

Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Akram Khan returns to Sadler’s Wells Theatre from Wednesday 20 - Sunday 24 November as director and performer in the UK premiere of GIGENIS: The generation of the Earth. Khan shares the stage with an ensemble of renowned artists of Indian classical dance including Kutiyattam artist Kapila Venu, Bharatanatyam soloists Mavin Khoo and Mythili Prakash, duo Vijna Vasudevan and Renjith Babu, and Sirikalyani Adkoli —with a score devised and performed through a collaboration of seven live Indian Classical musicians.    

A choreographer and dancer rooted in the tradition of his practice, and a creative interpreter of stories that need to be experienced – Akram Khan has revolutionised the world of dance. With his bilingual mastery of Kathak and contemporary dance, he has developed a uniquely individual voice as a protagonist of cross-cultural encounters. In a career spanning over 24 years, his work – which includes inventive, highly accessible and relevant productions such as Jungle Book reimagined, Outwitting the Devil, XENOS, and Giselle – sets him apart as one of the most celebrated and respected dance artists working today.  
 
Drawing from his deep-seated connection to traditional practices and his ability to weave narratives through movement, Khan's GIGENIS transcends time, invoking the collective memories of our civilisation. GIGENIS represents not just a performance but a profound statement— a testament to the enduring resonance of tradition in a rapidly changing world. 
 
Although many will be familiar with Khan’s work as a choreographer, it is a rarer occasion to witness him perform. GIGENIS marks Khan’s first performance on the London stage for four years.  

GIGENIS: The generation of the Earth follows a critically acclaimed run of Khan’s Giselle with the English National Ballet, which returned to Sadler’s Wells in September for the first time in five years.  

Akram Khan says: “I am thrilled to be bringing GIGENIS to Sadler's Wells, my dancing home in London. This production pays profound tribute to the legacy of Indian classical dance, bridging the past and present while celebrating our shared passion for this timeless and deeply rooted art form. Born from a personal response to the fragility of tradition, I am excited to be sharing the stage with some of the most exceptional classical Indian dancers and an extraordinary ensemble of live musicians. We each look forward to sharing GIGENIS with London."  

Mavin Khoo is a distinguished international dance artist and the Creative Associate for Akram Khan Company. In his role as Repetiteur for Akram Khan, he also coaches and stages productions such as Creature and Giselle for English National Ballet. Renowned as one of the few male Bharatanatyam soloists to achieve international touring status, he continues to perform at major venues across India. 

Sirikalyani Adkoli started her dance training at Nrityagram when she was a little over 5 years old. She has grown under the tutelage of Pavithra Reddy attending weekend classes through the year and Residential summer camps and workshops since she was 7. Siri has performed to great appreciation at all of Nrityagram’s annual shows. She has also been recipient of the Anne Warrior Award instituted by her school - Mallya Aditi International School, for excellence in the creative and performing arts. She has performed as lead character in the school’s dance drama Chandalika in 2018. 

Vijna Vasudevan and Renjith Babu are partners in dance and in life, and the duo aims to extend the boundaries of Indian traditional dance and create a new benchmark in the aesthetics of presentation by using innovative dance techniques. Known for their nuanced dancing, inspiring workshops and collaborations with leading dancers, choreographers and musicians all over the world, the couple work together as creative partners in moulding complete individuals through their brainchild Sāraswatham Foundation. 

Kapila Venu is a practitioner of Kutiyattam, one of the oldest living theatre traditions in the world, from Kerala, India. For more than two decades, she has travelled the world performing, teaching and giving 

workshops on Kutiyattam. She is a guest lecturer at the National School of Drama in New Delhi and a Master Teacher at the Intercultural Theatre Institute in Singapore. A film on the life and work of Kapila Venu, titled Kapila directed by Sanju Surendran, won the National Award for Best Cultural Film at the 62nd National Film Awards of the Government of India in 2014. 

A second generation Indian and American artist, Mythili Prakash belongs to a new generation of classical Indian dancers. A regular collaborator of Akram Khan, she is one of the most celebrated and respected bharatanatyam choreographers and dancers today. Mythili has toured her own solo productions in the United Kingdom, Canada, Europe, India, Singapore, the United States and Mexico. In February 2025 she brings her show, She’s Auspicious, to Sadler’s Wells East, exploring the relationship between “femininity” and “purity” alongside an all-female cast.