The art of building on inspiration

By Sandra Voulgari

?Art is not the most crucial element when it comes to human survival, but it is what makes us more human,? said Akram Khan over the phone from a London cab on a particularly busy day. At one point, my discussion with one of the most noteworthy choreographers yet humble artists of our time was interrupted in order for him to coordinate a rehearsal over the phone.

The first time Greek audiences got a chance to see Khan?s work was a few years back at the Kalamata International Dance Festival. At the time he had been one the young rising stars whom the festival?s artistic director, Vicky Maragopoulou, had singled out during her working trips abroad. Indeed, he subsequently went on to develop a brilliant career which has included choreographing a portion of the London Olympics opening ceremony in 2012.

After apologizing for the delays and the interruptions during our interview, Khan went on to answer my questions (while he even remembered our encounter in London two years previously at Sadler?s Wells, which was staging a performance of the award-winning ?Desh,? a production which also traveled to the Onassis Cultural Center in Athens) before hanging up with a ?Take care.? Comparisons with certain well-known Greek choreographers ? whose behavior is quite different ? are hard to avoid.

The Onassis Cultural Center is currently hosting a series of performances (to March 15) of ?Torobaka,? a production created jointly by Khan and renowned Spanish flamenco dancer Israel Galvan. The name ?Torobaka,? from the bull (toro) and the cow (vaca), is a combination of the symbols of Spain and Bangladesh (where Khan?s family originates from), respectively. The production brings together Galvan?s flamenco tradition and Khan?s contemporary...