On October 9, a group of 20 NYU Shanghai students, faculty, and staff participated in a dance workshop led by Elpida Skourou, a member of the Akram Khan Company, one of the leading contemporary dance companies in the world delivered a fascinating workshop to our NYU Shanghai community. The event was made possible by Theatre YOUNG and co-hosted by Thespians Society and the NYU Shanghai Dance Program.
The workshop centered around Akram's masterpiece Jungle Book reimagined, a two-hour-long dance performance based on the classic story by Rudyard Kipling. With a new sense of urgency brought on by climate change and man made environmental issues, Akram has reinterpreted the story through the lens of today’s children – those who will inherit our world and become our future storytellers.
Skourou led the participants in a warm-up developed through Akram Khan Company’s movement practice, exploring animalistic movements by mimicking movements of animals like monkeys, bears, and frogs.
“It was just very cool to witness a professional and learn from them,” said Bevin Gao ’26, a study away student from NYU Steinhardt. “Just seeing how amazing her work ethic was is very inspiring.”
Many of the students said they enjoyed trying to move in a different way. “I was impressed by the exercise of imitating different animals in the jungle, which required us to engage with our whole bodies including arms that we rarely use for walking,” said Ariel Jiang ’27. “Trying this new way to walk and dance was challenging to me but full of fun.”
The warm up also included learning gestures from Kathak - an Indian classical dance form that has profoundly influenced Akram’s choreography style. Then participants learned a short section of choreography from the Jungle Book reimagined and experienced this piece and the artistry through their own bodies. The workshop concluded with an Q&A session with Skourou.
Doris Wang Zhehan ’27 said she decided to attend the workshop at the last minute, but it turned out to be one of her favorite experiences at NYU Shanghai so far. “It was very fast and overwhelming when I first saw the dance that I doubted whether I could make it even though I have prior dancing experience. The instructor was very professional and patient,” she recalled. “She slowed down the pace, led the dance several times and counted numbers for us to catch up. I believe almost everyone had enough time to digest the movements, and we did pretty well.”
Associate Arts Professor of Dance Tao Siye also participated in the workshop.“The dance studio was truly 'lit up' by everyone's dedication,” she said. “It was an unforgettable experience to share with our students, colleagues, and some [members] of the world-class dance company.”
Students from Assistant Arts Professor of Dance Zhao Yuting’s Contemporary Dance and Choreography & Performance class also attended a performance of Jungle Book reimagined at the Young Theatre. Zhao said she was gratified to see how much the students got out of the experience. “It lifted my spirit,” she said. “I feel so lucky that we can provide students this opportunity.”
Annika Wen ’25 said that attending the performance after learning the choreography gave her a whole new way of understanding the piece. “After I learned it and then saw the whole performance in person, I feel like knowing this in advance really makes it [an] even more touch[ing] moment. Somehow I understand what's going to happen next.”
Learning the choreography, Sun Yuzhuo ’27 said she “felt its intensity and power. I was also inspired by the dancer who shared how she fully committed to her performance, even when feeling tired.”
Sophie Massey ’25, a study away student from NYU Tisch, said she was grateful for Skourou’s emphasis on prioritizing mental health and seeking a full body and mind connection when performing. She also said she appreciated that Skourou chose a more challenging piece for the group to learn. “She said she could have picked something that was more fun and chill and we would have had a good time, but she picked something harder because she knew that we'd be capable, and we pushed ourselves, and we were capable, and that feeling afterwards was very satisfying,” she said.
The Dance program hopes to organize future workshops to bring students access to professional dance companies performing in China.