Akram Khan | |
|---|---|
আকরাম খান | |
| Born | 29 July 1974 |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Contemporary Dance, Performing Arts |
| Alma mater | De Montfort University, Northern School of Contemporary Dance |
| Occupation(s) | Dancer, choreographer |
| Years active | 1987 – present |
| Organization | Akram Khan Company |
| Style | Contemporary dance, Kathak |
| Website | www |
Akram Khan, MBE (Bengali: আকরাম খান; born 29 July 1974) is a British dancer whose background is rooted in his classical kathak training and contemporary dance.
Akram Khan was born in Wimbledon, London into a family of Bangladeshi origin. He began dancing and trained in the classical Indian dance form of Kathak at the age of seven. He studied with Sri Pratap Pawar, later becoming his disciple. He began his stage career at the age of 14, when he was cast in Peter Brook’s Shakespeare Company production of Mahabharata, touring the world between 1987 and 1989 and appearing in the televised version of the play broadcast in 1988.[1]
Following later studies in Contemporary Dance at De Montfort University[2] and Performing Arts at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and a period working with Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s Brussels based X-Group project, he began presenting solo performances of his work in the 1990s.
In August 2000, he launched Akram Khan Company. His first full-length work Kaash, a collaboration with Anish Kapoor and Nitin Sawhney, was performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 2002.[3]
As choreographer-in-residence and later associate artist at the Southbank Centre,[4] he presented a recital with Pandit Birju Maharaj and Sri Pratap Pawar; and A God of Small Tales, a piece for mature women for which he collaborated with writer Hanif Kureishi. He remained an associate artist at the Southbank Centre until April 2005, the first non-musician to be afforded this status, and is currently an associate artist at Sadler's Wells Theatre.[5]
In 2008, he co-starred with Juliette Binoche in a dance-drama piece called in-i at the Royal National Theatre, London.[6]
In summer 2006, Khan was invited by Kylie Minogue to choreograph a section of her Showgirl concert. Khan appeared as a huge projection behind the singer as she performed. The songs were set in an Indian temple scenario, inspired by a trip Minogue made to Sri Lanka.[7] He has made pieces for the Ballet Boyz and Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan.[8]
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Jerwood Foundation | Choreography Award[9] | Won |
| Time Out Live | Outstanding Newcomer to Dance Award[10] | Won | |
| The Critics' Circle National Dance Awards | Outstanding Newcomer to Dance Award[10] | Won | |
| 2002 | The Critics' Circle National Dance Awards | Best Modern Choreography[11] | Won |
| Nijinsky Award | Best Newcomer[10] | Nominated | |
| Dance Magazine | 25 to Watch[10] | ||
| 2004 | The International Movimentos Tanzpreis | Most Promising Newcomer in Dance[10] | Won |
| An Honorary Doctorate of Arts from De Montfort University | Contribution to the UK arts community[12] | ||
| 2005 | MBE | Services to dance[13] | |
| South Bank Show Award[14] | Won | ||
| Critics’ Circle National Dance Award | Outstanding Male or Female Artist (Modern)[14] | Won | |
| 2006 | Laurence Olivier Award | (Zero Degrees - Akram Khan, Sidi Larbi Cherckaoui, Antony Gormley & Nitin Sawhney) for Best New Dance Production[15] | Nominated |
| 2007 | International Theatre Institute | Excellence in International Dance Award[5] | Won |
| Helpmann Awards, Sydney, Australia | Best Male Dancer[16] | Won | |
| Helpmann Awards, Sydney, Australia | Zero Degrees for “Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work” Award[17] | Won | |
| 2010 | Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards | [Akram Khan Company dancers - Eulalia Ayguade Farro (Vertical Road, Bahok) & Yoshie Sunahata (Gnosis) for Outstanding Female Performance (Modern)][18] | Nominated |
| South Bank Show Award[19] | Won | ||
| The Age Critics Award | Outstanding new work for Vertical Road at the Melbourne International Arts Festival.[20] | Won | |
| 2011 | International Society for the Performing Arts | Distinguished Artist Award[21] | Won |