Outwitting the Devil

“The devil, by the way, is here purely human.” Through the founding myths and elementary rituals of mankind, Outwitting the Devil, a social and environment-focused epic, explores collective stories and fragments of lost histories. By trying to master the mad dash of time and to tame nature, men seem to compare themselves to the gods in a vain effort to escape death, forgetting their responsibility as “transmitters” in the process. Their quest for immortality is a way to “make light of the Devil.” Both victims and accomplices of a world draining resources too unequally distributed, our societies trudge forward halfway between light and darkness, between knowledge and oblivion, between creative strength and destructive power. British choreographer Akram Khan, of Bangladeshi descent, summons to the stage six dancers of diverse age, memory, and history, who become the actors of an essential collective rite. Dance and singing deliver a universal message of alarm about the human condition and the draining of the earth's resources, a powerful defence of the need to share.

Born in London in 1974 to a Bangladeshi family, Akram Khan was 7 when he started learning kathak, a traditional Indian dance. At age 13, he performed in Peter Brook's Mahâbhârata. A dancer and choreographer, he founded his company with Farooq Chaudhry in 2000, a space for original creations bringing together tradition and contemporary dance. His shows, like the section he created for the Olympic ceremony in London in 2012, are both vital and diverse, thanks to his many collaborations (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Sylvie Guillem, Nitin Sawhney, Juliette Binoche, Anish Kapoor, etc.). Akram Khan is known and celebrated throughout the world; this is his first time at the Festival d'Avignon. 

With Ching-Ying Chien, Andrew Pan, Dominique Petit, Mythili Prakash, Sam Pratt, James Vu Anh Pham
And the voice of Dominique Petit

Artistic direction and choreography Akram Khan
Dramaturgy Ruth Little
Music and sound Vincenzo Lamagna
Lights Aideen Malone
Stage design Tom Scutt
Costumes Kimie Nakano
Text Jordan Tannahill
Video Maxime Dos
Artistic collaboration Mavin Khoo

Production Akram Khan Company
Co-production Festival d'Avignon, Théâtre de Namur Centre scénique, Central Centre culturel de La Louvière, Théâtre de la Ville (Paris), Sadler's Wells Theatre (Londres), La Comédie de Clermont-Ferrand Scène nationale, Colours International Dance Festival 2019 (Stuttgart)
In partnership with France Médias Monde