The Accountants at Aviva Studios
Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor
The Accountants takes real data about India and China and transforms it into a visual allegory for the stage.
Explosive global dance and state-of-the-art visuals battle it out in a thrilling spectacular at Aviva Studios. With stunning movement direction by leading Chinese choreographer Xie Xin and celebrated Indian dance artists Terence Lewis and Mahrukh Dumasia, the cultural superpowers of China and India go head-to-head in this vibrant world premiere performance.
To give you a taste of what to expect, The Accountants has been created especially for Factory International by multi-disciplinary artist Keith Khan, who boasts an extensive portfolio of cultural work that includes Notting Hill Carnival and the London 2012 Olympic Games. Brace yourself for interactive storytelling and cutting-edge video design by the award-winning Manchester-based studio idontloveyouanymore all set to a dynamic soundtrack by ARIAS nominated sound artist Somin Griffin-Dave (aka Somatic),plus lighting design from the award-winning Simon Corder and dramaturgy by Jude Christian.
Described as a “collusion of dance, sound and video”, The Accountants follows a conversation between two characters from the UK – 18-year-old Liam of mixed British and Chinese heritage and his aunty (but not his ‘real’ aunty) Kash, a British Indian living in Manchester. Voiced by Josh Hart and Coronation Street’s Shobna Gulati, the two characters explore connection and identity through a series of texts and voice notes. Joking about which culture is ‘better’ – from the cuisine to the landmarks and spirituality – the two characters move between poking fun at one another and exploring the bigger questions in life.
Most strikingly, neither of these characters are visible on stage. Instead, we are introduced to an array of vivid characters – brought to life on stage from inside their minds – through a visual feast of dance and storytelling.
As Liam embarks on a world trip to India and China his experiences are juxtaposed with Kash’s life as a British Indian woman who has never left Manchester. Communicating across time zones via their phones, Kash’s thoughts about India and China, gleaned from facts and figures contrast with Liam’s current, lived experience of India and China.
Dancers compete and collaborate as a huge screen fills with data behind them, The Accountants questions our drive to constantly assess, reason and quantify the world around us; sifting through cultural data to detonate perceived stereotypes and instead, forge meaningful relationships. Rich and playful, The Accountants tackles love, rivalry and the power of connection.
Bringing together two superstar choreography teams – Shanghai-based Xie Xin, a prominent figure in Chinese contemporary dance, and Mumbai-based Terence Lewis, well-known as a judge on Dance India Dance and India’s Best Dancer, together with Mahrukh Dumasia, The Accountants promises to be a hot ticket that’ll leave you questioning anything you ‘thought’ you knew about India and China.
