Two works by Stephanie Lake and Akram Khan deal with aspects of individual freedom in movement.
Two-part ballet evening
World Premiere Colossus: 2018 Arts Center Melbourne
World Premiere Vertical Road: 2010 Curve Theatre Leicester
Premiere
8. November 2025
Dates & Cast
Colossus
- Choreography Stephanie Lake
- Music Robin Fox
- Lighting Design Bosco Shaw
- Costume Design Harriet Oxley
- Staged by Nicole Muscat, Sarah McCrorie
Vertical Road
- Choreography Akram Khan
- Music Nitin Sawhney, Aditya Prakash
- Set Design Akram Khan, Kimie Nakano, Jesper Kongshaug
- Lighting Design Jesper Kongshaug
- Costume Design Kimie Nakano
- Staged by Mavin Khoo, Joëlle Auspert, John Lam
Colossus
- Choreography Stephanie Lake
- Music Robin Fox
- Lighting Design Bosco Shaw
- Costume Design Harriet Oxley
- Staged by Nicole Muscat, Sarah McCrorie
Vertical Road
- Choreography Akram Khan
- Music Nitin Sawhney, Aditya Prakash
- Set Design Akram Khan, Kimie Nakano, Jesper Kongshaug
- Lighting Design Jesper Kongshaug
- Costume Design Kimie Nakano
- Staged by Mavin Khoo, Joëlle Auspert, John Lam
Semperoper Ballett with pupils and students from the Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden
Recorded music
Project Partners
Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe Sachsen
Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden
Sparkassen-Versicherung Sachsen
LBBW
Colossus
- Choreography Stephanie Lake
- Music Robin Fox
- Lighting Design Bosco Shaw
- Costume Design Harriet Oxley
- Staged by Nicole Muscat, Sarah McCrorie
Vertical Road
- Choreography Akram Khan
- Music Nitin Sawhney, Aditya Prakash
- Set Design Akram Khan, Kimie Nakano, Jesper Kongshaug
- Lighting Design Jesper Kongshaug
- Costume Design Kimie Nakano
- Staged by Mavin Khoo, Joëlle Auspert, John Lam
Semperoper Ballett with pupils and students from the Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden
Recorded music
Project Partners
Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe Sachsen
Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden
Sparkassen-Versicherung Sachsen
LBBW
Colossus
- Choreography Stephanie Lake
- Music Robin Fox
- Lighting Design Bosco Shaw
- Costume Design Harriet Oxley
- Staged by Nicole Muscat, Sarah McCrorie
Vertical Road
- Choreography Akram Khan
- Music Nitin Sawhney, Aditya Prakash
- Set Design Akram Khan, Kimie Nakano, Jesper Kongshaug
- Lighting Design Jesper Kongshaug
- Costume Design Kimie Nakano
- Staged by Mavin Khoo, Joëlle Auspert, John Lam
Semperoper Ballett with pupils and students from the Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden
Recorded music
Project Partners
Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe Sachsen
Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden
Sparkassen-Versicherung Sachsen
LBBW
Colossus
- Choreography Stephanie Lake
- Music Robin Fox
- Lighting Design Bosco Shaw
- Costume Design Harriet Oxley
- Staged by Nicole Muscat, Sarah McCrorie
Vertical Road
- Choreography Akram Khan
- Music Nitin Sawhney, Aditya Prakash
- Set Design Akram Khan, Kimie Nakano, Jesper Kongshaug
- Lighting Design Jesper Kongshaug
- Costume Design Kimie Nakano
- Staged by Mavin Khoo, Joëlle Auspert, John Lam
Semperoper Ballett with pupils and students from the Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden
Recorded music
Project Partners
Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe Sachsen
Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden
Sparkassen-Versicherung Sachsen
LBBW
Colossus
- Choreography Stephanie Lake
- Music Robin Fox
- Lighting Design Bosco Shaw
- Costume Design Harriet Oxley
- Staged by Nicole Muscat, Sarah McCrorie
Vertical Road
- Choreography Akram Khan
- Music Nitin Sawhney, Aditya Prakash
- Set Design Akram Khan, Kimie Nakano, Jesper Kongshaug
- Lighting Design Jesper Kongshaug
- Costume Design Kimie Nakano
- Staged by Mavin Khoo, Joëlle Auspert, John Lam
Semperoper Ballett with pupils and students from the Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden
Recorded music
Project Partners
Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe Sachsen
Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden
Sparkassen-Versicherung Sachsen
LBBW
Colossus
- Choreography Stephanie Lake
- Music Robin Fox
- Lighting Design Bosco Shaw
- Costume Design Harriet Oxley
- Staged by Nicole Muscat, Sarah McCrorie
Vertical Road
- Choreography Akram Khan
- Music Nitin Sawhney, Aditya Prakash
- Set Design Akram Khan, Kimie Nakano, Jesper Kongshaug
- Lighting Design Jesper Kongshaug
- Costume Design Kimie Nakano
- Staged by Mavin Khoo, Joëlle Auspert, John Lam
Semperoper Ballett with pupils and students from the Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden
Recorded music
Project Partners
Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe Sachsen
Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden
Sparkassen-Versicherung Sachsen
LBBW
Related event
In brief
The double bill Wings and Feathers combines two dance pieces, Stephanie Lake’s Colossus (2018) and Akram Khan’s Vertical Road (2010, new version 2023), which explore the relationship between the individual and the community. Both pieces were created by renowned choreographers whose works are being danced by the Semperoper Ballett for the first time. Stephanie Lake, one of the most prominent voices in Australian contemporary dance, has been Artist in Residence at the Semperoper Ballett since the 2025/26 season. Akram Khan, who combines elements of Western contemporary dance and Indian classical dance to create his own distinctive style, has been at the forefront of the international dance scene from London for over two decades. Both pieces feature specially composed scores by Robin Fox (Colossus) and Nitin Sawhney and Aditya Prakash (Vertical Road).
The title of the double bill, Wings and Feathers, is a quote from a poem by the Persian mystic Rumi (1207-1273) which inspired Akram Khan to create Vertical Road. At the same time, it refers to Stephanie Lake’s Colossus, a work of literally colossal proportions in which over 50 students from the Palucca University of Dance and members of the Semperoper Ballett perform together as equals. The title of the double bill suggests that this piece offers the youngest dancers the opportunity to “spread their wings” and take their first leap into the professional dance world. The students and the upcoming and established stars of the Semperoper Ballett represent all stages of a dancer’s career.
