Akram Khan, Until the Lions, online

Akram Khan is a gigantic name in the world of dance. Trained in the kathak form of Indian classical dance, alongside contemporary dance in his native UK, he's created a unique fusion of movement styles and cultures. His work is powerful and exhilarating. Furthermore, he has shown himself to be immensely versatile: his 2016 recreation of the über-Romantic ballet Giselle for English National Ballet is generally considered a masterpiece.

His new work for English National Ballet, Creature, inspired by the the myth of Prometheus and hinting at the novel Frankenstein, should have premiered earlier this year, but then the Covid lockdown intervened. The much anticipated world premiere of Creature is now likely to take place in 2021.

Khan's Until the Lions dates from 2016 and was created for the specific geography of north London's Roundhouse. He was inspired by the great Indian epic, The Mahabharata, a sprawling work from which Khan chose to explore notions of gender, revenge, and time in a battle for justice and liberty.

You can read more in Culture Whisper's four-star review of Until the Lions' return to The Roundhouse in the winter of 2019.

And if that's not enough to whet your appetite, here's an extract from Akram Khan's Until The Lions, starring Khan himself at the head of a small group of remarkable dancers.