Our final UK performances of 2026 are approaching.
In two weeks, Akram and the Company return to Brighton for the first time in 10 years.
Catch Thikra on 23 & 24 May
with our friends @brightonfestival
Images by @camilla_greenwell
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Thikra is a Wadi AlFann, Valley of the Arts, AlUla commission @artsalula
We are super grateful for the opportunity to return to the US and share Thikra with our friends in New York and those passing through.
Join us for our US premiere as part of @lincolncenter ’s Contemporary Dance Festival on 2, 3 and 5 July.
Member pre-sale 13 May with general on-sale 20 May.
Dancer @azusaprioville
Music composition and sound design @adityaprakashmusic & @garethfry
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Commissioned by Wadi AlFann, Valley of the Arts, AlUla @artsalula
Day 11/20 | Manal Al Dowayan
Scattered across the gallery floor, a constellation of eighteen dark jesmonite forms appear to surface from beneath the ground. From afar they read almost as stones, yet their rounded edges and hand-worked textures gradually imply something bodily. The arrangement suggests a quiet gathering, though the forms never fully resolve into recognizable bodies. Each shape resembles a bent limb. Some lean forward while others fold inward, forming a pattern of emerging presences.
The repetition of these forms creates a subtle sense of movement. It is as if they are caught mid-action, slowly rising together. Their low posture holds a moment of transition, suspended between visibility and concealment. The presence of these forms feels guarded, yet insistent. They begin to read as a collective gesture where women renegotiate their bodies in the spaces they inhabit. In this sense, ‘The Emerging’ (2021) reflects the steady visibility of women within Saudi Arabia’s evolving public sphere. These repeated forms become symbols of liberation, suggesting an expansion of women’s presence and participation in the broader landscape. What unfolds here is a discreet but powerful acknowledgment of movement and belonging.
Invited writer: Aram Alajaji @022ar
‘Move Pause Return’ marks the gallery’s 20th anniversary, presenting one new work each day at the gallery, accompanied by a note from an invited writer, through April 11.
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Manal Al Dowayan, ‘The Emerging’ (2021), jesmonite (18 pieces)
Just announced: three performances in Colombia with @eneldelia from 22 to 24 April.
We’ve long awaited our return to South America, so it means a great deal to bring our final production there, and to share it with our friends in Colombia for the first time.
Images from our recent rehearsal residency in London by @camilla_greenwell
Thikra is a Wadi AlFann, Valley of the Arts, AlUla commission
لا تحكي منال الضويان عبر أعمالها قصتها وحسب، بل عشرات القصص من مجتمعها. أعمال مركبة ومتحركة لا تعرف السكون في زاوية واحدة، تتغير وتتطور بمرور الوقت، بداية من الصور الفوتوغرافية بالأبيض والأسود، إلى أعمال مركبة في الصوت والنحت، وأخرى تأخذ المشاركة المجتمعية حيزًا كبيرًا منها. ومهما اختلفت هذه الأعمال وتنوَّعت، يبقى المتلقي قادرًا على اكتشاف نهجها وصوتها.
لقراءة المقالة على موقع القافلة بقلم روان طلال @rawantalal_
#مجلة_القافلة #فن #بينالي_البندقية
As part of the closing weekend of the 60th edition of Brighton Festival, Akram Khan Company brings their final touring production Thikra: A Night of Remembering
Imagined as an annual gathering a tribe of women come together for one night only to awaken the spirit of those who came before them, converging past and present in a journey through tradition to honour our ancestors
With costume design by Manal AlDowayan and an original score by Aditya Prakash (Room-i-Nation, 2025), the piece explores the echoes of a colonised past
Manal Al Dowayan (b. 1973) is a contemporary Saudi artist whose work engages questions of memory and the lived realities of women in Saudi society. Born in Dhahran, she began making art while employed in the oil industry, encouraged by her mother who secretly helped pay for her early art lessons at a time when opportunities for women were constrained.
Growing up within a conservative social environment shaped her sustained focus on visibility, agency and historical record. Her projects often center on women’s voices and examine systems such as guardianship, bringing personal testimony into the public sphere. Collaboration is central to her practice. She frequently works with groups of participants whose contributions form the substance of the artwork, shifting authorship from the individual to the collective. Working across photography and installation, Al Dowayan develops projects grounded in shared experience and cultural memory. She later completed a Master’s degree in Contemporary Art Practice in Public Spheres at the Royal College of Art in London.
Learn more about Manal Al Dowayan at the Link in our Bio
#DAFBeirut #Beirut #ArabArt #Artist #SaudiArt
We’re humbled to announce our return to the US this year as we head to @jacobspillow for the first time in 20 years with our final touring production.
8-12 July. Further tour dates to follow.
Image by @camilla_greenwell
One year on from the site-specific world premiere at AlUla Arts Festival 2025, we reflect on a moment that could only have existed there.
The ceremonial Procession: an immersive opening that guided audiences into the performance. Unseen beyond AlUla, this experience remains integral to our memory and the evolution of the piece.
Developed by Akram and @manaldowayan with their team @jumanaalrefai and @bilalallaf.co , and the community of AlUla, Thikra is inspired by the region’s history, the landscape, its people and their stories.
For upcoming tour dates of the indoor adaptation, please head to our website.
Music
“Gyura Beli Belo Platno” by London Bulgarian Choir
Directed by Dessislava Stefanova
Video
@dos_maxime
Commissioned by Wadi AlFann, Valley of the Arts, AlUla @artsalula
Art is not just expression — it’s resistance, dialogue, and change
In this episode, Manal AlDowayan shares how creativity can challenge norms, spark conversations, and reshape perspectives.
A powerful journey at the intersection of art, identity, and leadership.
Watch the full episode soon...
Partners with: @podmedia.network@2030leadersmic
2025 marked our 25th year. Bringing the site-specific world premiere of our final touring production at @artsalula , its indoor premiere at @montpellierdanse , and the continued tour of Chotto Desh.
Memories of the Future, Moving Stories and Unplugged - the spine of our work - projects that have taught us how profoundly communities underpin everything that we do.
Akram continued to explore new creative collaborations, including Turning of Bones with @gauthierdance and Vertical Road for @semperoperballett .
As we enter what will be a defining period for the Company, a new year is marked with the return of Akram’s Giselle performed by @englishnationalballet at the London Coliseum and the creation period of Lady Macbeth with the Royal Danish Ballet / @kglteater , premiering April 2026.
Thank you for being with us.
Film by @camilla_greenwell
