Jungle Book reimagined

At age 10, Akram Khan played the role of Mowgli. Of Bangladeshi origin, the great English choreographer dips again into that memory, reinventing the plot and characters of Kipling in his own energetic and generous way.

The Jungle Book is a perfect myth. Within it lies a desire as old as humanity: to talk with the beings that inhabit the planet alongside us. Akram Khan never forgot the three lessons he learned from playing the role of Mowgli, which he danced at the age of 10 in an Indian production: "the community between the species, the interdependence between humans, animals and nature, and finally, the sense of family and our need to belong". In this time of climate change, he wishes to testify, through his artistic voice, about the urgent need to show the Earth the respect that we owe it. His Mowgli of the next century is now a young Indian, who embarks on a container vessel with his father and mother to flee their country, which has been ravage by catastrophic draught. For reasons of principle, Akram Khan’s new creation is designed without physical stage sets, in order to minimize the carbon footprint of its world tour. All the spaces are born out of the bodies of the dancers, supported only by lighting and video projections.

Coproduction with the Association Bourguignonne Culturelle (A.B.C.)

^{© Ambra Vernuccio}

Artistic and choreographic director Akram Khan
Creative assistant and coach Mavin Khoo
Text Tariq Jordan
Dramaturgical advisor Sharon Clark
Composition Jocelyn Pook
Sound design Gareth Fry
Lighting design Michael Hulls
Visual stage design Miriam Buether
Artistic and animation director Adam Smith (YeastCulture)
Video design and director Nick Hillel (YeastCulture)
Rotoscope Naaman Azhari, Natasza Cetner, Edson Bazzarin

Dancers Lucia Chocarro, Tom Davis-Dunn, Max Revell, Matthew Sandiford, Pui-Yung Shum, Holly Vallis, Luke Watson, Harry Foster, and Jasper Narvaez