Gigenis at Sadler’s Wells review: Akram Khan returns to his roots in this classy, atmospheric show

Two decades ago, Akram Khan hit the British dance scene in a quicksilver dazzle. A kathak performer of unmissable intensity, his roots in Indian classical dance quickly forged collaborations with modern dance and ballet, with Juliette Binoche and Kylie, that pushed at the possibilities of the art form.

Now he returns to his roots, assembling a super group of Indian virtuosi in a classy, atmospheric production inspired by the Mahabharata – a tale of brothers’ strife and women’s agonies, underpinned by the epic’s sense of global crisis.

In Gigenis: the generation of the Earth (Khan can’t resist a grandiose title), the artist is just one part of a matchless ensemble. The youth now sports a silver-speckled beard, his speed inevitably dimmed – but this rare opportunity to catch him on stage (his first London performances for four years) rattles with expressive, arrowing vigour.

Gigenis revolves around a maternal figure played by Kapila Venu, from the vivid theatrical form of kutiyattam. After the show opens in a clang of thunderous percussion, Venu steps forward, anxious eyes cast upwards. She seems to internalise the furious thrum of the live music, gathering its energy into a performance of immense power.

Her elemental opening sequence suggests that she’s birthing not only sons, but also the story, perhaps the world itself. It introduces an earth-shaking dynamic in which men become intimate with bloodshed, and women with grief. Brotherly conflict threads through the Mahabharata: here, two sons are played by Khan and Mavin Khoo, his regular collaborator.

Khoo, strikingly still and placid, is chosen to rule; as his thwarted brother, Khan spins with a tantrum’s force, his fingers twitching with distress. The stage is starkly defined – by lines of musicians along each side, and an edging of light bulbs that flare along with Khan’s fury.

Zeynep Kepekli’s richly textured lighting is subdued and smoky, dusting the air rust red as the tale turns towards violence. Live music also layers the action – rattling, pounding percussion and beguiling strings, and eventually a mournful boom.

Each of the seven dancers is an adept in a different traditional form. We see deft hands and bare soles that pad swiftly over the stage, and shifts of weight that make meaning palpable.

Real-life partners Renjith Babu and Vijna Vasudevan twirl birdlike arms around each other, forging a brief idyll of synchronicity. Later, martial arms will slice the air, cradling limbs will evoke childhoods that should have turned out differently.

Gigenis is less theatrically assertive than some of Khan’s previous works, but creates a resonant hour of expressive dance. Khoo’s brother looks shocked even as he triumphs. Victory feels like loss, and sorrow lands with greater force than joy.

Sadler’s Wells, to November 24; sadlerswells.com