Internationally renowned Indian and Chinese dance companies are to make their UK debut in The Accountants, an upcoming high-tech production premiering in Manchester.
The Factory International production, created by Keith Khan, will run at Aviva Studios from tomorrow until Saturday (May 7 to May 11) in collaboration with the Terence Lewis Contemporary Dance Company from Mumbai, India and Xiexin Dance Theatre from Shanghai, China.
The Accountants tells the story of Kash, voiced by Coronation Street’s Shobna Gulati and Liam, voiced by Josh Hart, who help each other navigate the cultural expectations surrounding their two disparate but connected British Indian and British Chinese heritages.
Keith Khan, a multi-disciplinary artist known for his cultural work said: “I’m very interested in exploring form – this collusion of dance, sound and video in a seamless way.
“The Accountants is not one thing or the other. It’s not a theatre play. It’s not a dance show. It’s this hybrid form of art.
“I hope it makes people question all sorts of things to do with identity, but also, I hope they are dazzled.”
Khan’s previous work includes everything from Notting Hill Carnival to the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Factory International commissions, produces and presents a year-round programme of original creative work and special events at Aviva Studios in Manchester, online, and internationally through its network of co-commissioners and partners.
It also stages the city-wide Manchester International Festival every other year.
John McGrath, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Factory International said: “I’m very proud indeed to see this intercontinental collaboration come to life on our beautiful new stage at Aviva Studios.
“I have long been a huge fan of Keith Khan’s work. From the early days of his legendary company Moti Roti, through massive street parades, to today’s production, he has had the rare capability to combine cutting-edge techniques and big social questions with an enormous sense of fun, colour and joy.
“International understanding is at the heart of our work, and this show is a particularly vibrant example of the rewards that a wide-ranging cultural collaboration can bring.”
The Accountants is set to a soundtrack by the ARIAS-nominated sound artist Somatic and moving images on large on-stage screens animated by Manchester-based studio idontloveyouanymore.
Image credit: Tristram Kenton
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