COMPANY NAME:  Khoo/Khan	TITLE OF SHOW:  No Male Egos
DATE OF VISIT:  Sept 9, 1999	VENUE:  Purcell Room

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I will preface by saying that this show is the best dance performance I have seen in a few years. Better than Small Bones, better than Meryl Tankard. I was very impressed for reasons I will elaborate on later.

 

The show was presented in two halves, before the interval Khoo and Khan both presented a solo show displaying the Indian dance form of their individual expertise - Khoo presenting Bharatanatyam and Khan presenting the Kathak form. This first half provided a wonderful cultural context in which to present, after the interval, 'No Male Egos', a collaborative work displaying a fusion of Indian, Western contemporary and classical ballet styles of dance, to Indian music. The music was live throughout the entire evening and was thoroughly inspirational in its technical perfection and pure passion.

 

Khoo in his performance of classical Bharatanatyam was a consummate master of the audience, the stage and the musicians, to whom he seemed to be constantly responding, guiding and leading. His own technical skill is amazing and it is plain that his training in classical ballet has deepened and refined the impact and clarity of the traditional Bharatanatyam form. His portrayal of the yearning for the god Krishna was plain to me even though I had not read the programme notes at that point: I could clearly see the outworkings of a relationship in his expressions and gestures, and at one point while standing in a blue light it was clear that he was in some way invoking the god. The piece explored a full spectrum of emotions, but chief, I would say, was joy, so obvious as Khoo revelled in the movement and rhythm of the dance which did not falter for a moment. My only criticism is that I found this piece to be slightly over-long and by the end, although I could not help but admire Khoo's capacity for physcial endurance, I was more than ready for something else to happen.

 

Khan in his solo presentation was equally breathtaking for thoroughly different reasons. If Khoo was fire, Khan was water. If Khoo was air, Khan was earth. Khan was as velvet as Khoo was a spark. (That I labour the point should show what an impact these two had on me, my companion and the entire audience who was cheering, calling and clapping for all their worth by the end.) Khan again was the master of the stage, verbally cuing the musicians to the rhythm and feeling he required for each short piece and then flawlessly infusing the motion of his body into whatever feeling or animal he wished to portray. Like a writer choosing words he lit upon the exact small gesture to make the heart jump to the throat. Explaining each piece to the audience in his startlingly soft voice was an intimate and personal touch which both educated the audience and drew them into a deeper understanding of what they were seeing. It was more like a lecture demonstration than a formal performance but it was better for that.

 

After the interval came the completely unexpected 'No Male Egos'. The only criticisms I have of this piece are 1- it could have done with slightly more editing (but that is being really picky) and 2- the two men wore velvet vests of the same style but their trousers were different - one shiny and one plain, which I found distracting. However if that is all I can find to complain about I think you get the picture that it was a pretty amazing piece. The two men danced together with a tenderness that I have rarely seen between two human beings let alone two males. (Small Bones could learn from this!) Their movement qualities so complemented each other that it was at times like watching two halves of one psyche move across the stage. The choreography was full of suprises and kept us on the edge of our seats, and the constant interaction between dancers and music fired the attention like nothing I have experienced in years.

 

I could write all night about this show. However I feel I need to emphasise that the major reason this show was so good was that the performers were, at all times, utterly committed and involved with all of their being in what they were doing. There is obviously nothing on earth so beloved to these men as their art form and it permeated the whole room. It was exhilarating to watch them so transparently letting us into their souls at the same time as giving us a glimpse of such technical perfection. Most dancers and companies I have seen could learn a lot from them.