UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Akram Khan, “GIGENIS, the Generation of the Earth,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 10 at the Granada Theatre.

Returning to his roots to curate his first ensemble piece showcasing Indian classical dance, choreographer Khan shares the stage with six renowned dancers and seven live musicians.

A dancer draped in a green and yellow costume uses her hands and long fingers to impart deep expression. (Courtesy photo)
Performers experienced in the craft of storytelling make up the ensemble of ‘GIGENIS.’ (Courtesy photo)

Evoking our civilization’s collective memories, GIGENIS offers a testament to the enduring resonance of tradition in a rapidly changing world, Arts & Lectures said.

“GIGENIS” is about a mother of two sons who has lost her husband to war. Toward the end of her life, when one son dies in battle, she reflects on how this all came to be: how she saw the world when she was a child; how she saw the world when she married; how she saw the world when she gave birth; and finally, how she saw the world when she experienced the death of her son.

The questions haunt her until the very end and are very much a metaphor for how Khan feels about the world today. How did two sons, both from the same womb, take entirely different paths?

One advocates harmony and the other revels in chaos. Are we in control of our narratives or are we just destined to believe so?

Khan has gathered an ensemble of dancers, actors and musicians who are steeped in the craft of storytelling. It is the first time in his career that he directs an ensemble of artists from the Indian classical traditions.

Tickets are $48.50-$108.50, general public; $20 for UCSB students with current student ID.

For tickets or more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures, 805-893-3535, or buy online at www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu.

“GIGENIS” is presented in association with the UCSB Department of Theater and Dance.

Arts & Lectures also joins the Grand Théâtre de Provence, Paris’ Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., The Joyce Theater in New York and Sadler’s Wells in London in presenting the program.