If You Aren't Already Hyped for Akram Khan's Final Solo, Check Out These Videos

January 22, 2018

It might not have a U.S. tour on the books (yet), but we have to admit that we’re getting exceptionally excited for Akram Khan‘s Xenos to premiere.

Partially, this has to do with circumstance: It’s to be Khan’s final full-length solo, which in and of itself is both hype-worthy and devastating. Partially, it has to do with the subject matter: Khan will portray a shell-shocked colonial soldier trapped in the trenches of World War I, one of many Indian sepoy whose stories have largely been forgotten. (The 14–18 NOW project commemorating the war’s centenary commissioned the work, which will open its fifth and final season in London this May.)

And partially, it’s because of the tantalizing digital journal documenting the process.

The video series, filmed and edited by Maxime Dos, is being updated once a week in the run up to the work’s February premiere in Athens. Individually, the short films are gorgeous, each documenting a different stage of the process; taken together, as they are presented on the Xenos microsite, the glimpses into the work’s creation are nothing short of mesmerizing. It’s almost like watching a bonafide dance film be put together, piece by piece.

The series updates on Tuesdays—keep an eye on the microsite and Twitter for more in the coming weeks, and join us in wishing for Khan to bring the finished product stateside sooner rather than later.