Escapade
An exuberant tribute to the democratic resilience of pop culture in the UK.
137 artists and performers and 59 production staff perform for an audience of nearly 16,000.
What it matched in ambition and perhaps scale, Akademi certainly surpassed in daring with this spectacle. With a cast of performers running to well over one hundred, an impressively large production team, and vast spaces teeming with carnival punks, dancers, percussionists and, at the end of it all, fireworks, ESCAPADE couldn’t help but live up to its name.
Showcasing the often ‘invisible’ community and education work that has earned Akademi its respeted reputation, ESCAPADE was an exuberant tributte to the democratic resilience of pop culture in the UK, Urban, British, South Asian cool: for two nights, bollywood kitsch went art-house on London South Bank with an awesome, body-popping bang.
Creative Team
Artistic Direction and Design: Keith Khan
Movement Director and Choreographer: Dan O’Neill
Associate Movement Director and Choreographer: Gauri Sharma Tripathi
Dramaturg: Rajan Khosa
Composer: Sandeep Chowta
Film Maker: Mark Murphy
Lighting: Simon Corder
Choreographers: Henri Oguike, Mavin khoo, Satish Shah, Chix Chandaria, Joan Pires, Sujata Banerjee and Mita Banerjee
Executive Producer: Mira Kaushik OBE
Producer: Suzanne Walker
Production Manager: Simon Byford
Supported by
Southbank Centre, Arts Council England, Association of London Government, London Borough of Camden, European union Social Fund, South Asian Dance Alliance, Sony Entertainment Television Asia, The Paul Hamlyn Foundation
Media Credits
Images: Richard Houghton, Keith Khan, Mark Murphy and Ali Zaidi.
