Photo: Liu Yang
Bahok, meaning carrier in Bengali, is a contemporary dance piece which sets out to explore physical representations of cultural exchange. Choreographed by Akram Khan and scored by Nitin Sawney, the title reflects the message that we are all products of cultural codification with different stories to show and tell.
Using eight dancers from a mix of cultures, Khan places them as characters in transit, waiting for their flights in an airport terminal. During their wait, the dancers play out lost in translation moments; seemingly to highlight the connect/disconnect moments of intercultural exchange.
I saw:
A contact improvised sex dream between a spitting Eastern European man and a narcoleptic Chinese woman.
A photo clicking Chinese duet turned threesome when China tought India the correct hold for a pas de deux turn.
A striking ensemble piece which resembled the Dance of the Airport Traffic Signaller (heavy use of arm rotation) set within an industrial rave (Nitin Sawney’s atmospheric score).
Perhaps I missed the nuances within Khan’s storytelling, but all the gobbledy-gook between cultures failed to resonate with me. Still something imprinted itself indelibly within my memory. Two words. Three syllables. Zhang Zhenxin. This young Chinese man danced furiously and gorgeously; a moving monument to fluidity and expression. He managed to pull off the contemporary/kathak choreography and make it look better than it possibly should. Just to see him perform, I would go see Bahok again. Enough said.
