Page 139 - Post Summit_2019_AV

Portraits in Otherness Portraits in Otherness was a specially-curated version of a dance performance which debuted at Sadler’s Wells in London. Choreographed by Farooq Chaudhry of Akram Khan Company and featuring two highly charismatic and distinctive contemporary dancers, Dickson Mbi and Maya Jilan Dong, Portraits in Otherness is part of a wider international collaboration between Akram Khan Company and Peacock Contemporary Dance Company in China. The primal beauty of the performance evoked multiple dance languages, inhabiting an in-between territory in a seamless melding of cultures. Choreographer and dancer Mbi is world-renowned in the hip-hop dance community, known for his powerful movement, strong personality and remarkable popping skills. He has danced with international musicians and artists such as Basement Jaxx, Shallama, Robbie Williams, Corrine Bailey Rae, Black Eyed Peas, Russell Maliphant and Boy Blue Entertainment. Choreographer and dancer Dong is a Bai, an ethnic minority from the Yunnan province in south-west China. In 2004, renowned Chinese dancer and choreographer Yang Liping recognised her talents and invited her to join the Yunnan Yang Liping Arts and Culture Company. Ms Dong has performed in such important works as Dynamic Yunnan, Peacock, Under Siege and Peacock Winter. 135