in-i - National Theatre (Lyttelton)
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
A MAJOR new work of dance theatre created, directed and performed by Juliette Binoche and Akram Khan, in-i, premieres at the Lyttelton Theatre on September 18, 2008 (previews from September 6) before touring internationally.
If the Greeks had 14 words to describe different ways of loving, how many dare we experience?
Throughout their careers, leading dancer/choreographer Akram Khan, and actress Juliette Binoche, have both sought out surprising and daring collaborations.
Khan has always taken an inter-disciplinary approach to dance and his collaborators have included Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Antony Gormley and Nitin Sawhney (zero degrees), Sylvie Guillem (Sacred Monsters), and Hanif Kureishi. A new work, bahok, a collaboration with the National Ballet of China, is currently touring worldwide.
Similarly, Binoche has made artistically challenging choices with directors such as Michael Haneke (Hidden) and Louis Malle (Damage), and has starred in award-winning films including The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Les Amants du Pont Neuf, Blue, The English Patient, for which she received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and Chocolat.
Visual design for in-i is by Turner Prize-winning artist Anish Kapoor, with lighting design by Michael Hulls, music by Philip Sheppard and sound by Nicolas Faure. in-i is a National Theatre and Akram Khan co-production and is sponsored by French Wines. Buy tickets
A retrospective of Juliette Binoche’s film career and an exhibition of her paintings will be shown at BFI Southbank from September 1 to October 15, 2008.
NB: The National Theatre will be open on Sundays throughout the autumn/winter season, beginning on September 21, 2008. Sunday matinees (at 3pm) in the Olivier and Lyttelton Theatres will include in-i, which is booking until October 6, 2008.