Akram Khan

MBE
Khan in 2010
Born
Akram Hossain Khan

(1974-07-29) 29 July 1974
Lambeth, London, England
EducationDe Montfort University
Northern School of Contemporary Dance
Occupation(s)Dancer, choreographer
Years active1987–
Known forAkram Khan Company
StyleContemporary dance, kathak
Websitewww.akramkhancompany.net

Akram Hossain Khan, MBE (Bengali: আকরাম হুসেইন খান) (born 29 July 1974)[1] is an English dancer and choreographer of Bangladeshi descent. His background is rooted in his classical kathak training and contemporary dance.

Career

Khan was born in Lambeth, London, England, into a family from Dhaka, Bangladesh. He began dancing and trained in the classical South Asian dance form of Kathak at the age of seven. He studied with Pratap Pawar, later becoming his disciple. He began his stage career in the Adventures of Mowgli tour 1984–1985 produced by the Academy of Indian Dance, now Akademi South Asian Dance. At the age of 13, 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.[2]

Following later studies in Contemporary Dance at De Montfort University[3] 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, founded alongside former dancer Farooq Chaudhry.[4] His first full-length work Kaash, a collaboration with Anish Kapoor and Nitin Sawhney, was performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 2002.[5]

As choreographer-in-residence and later associate artist at the Southbank Centre,[6] 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.[7] In 2005, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2005 Birthday Honours for his services to dance.[8]

In 2008, he co-starred with Juliette Binoche in a dance-drama piece called in-i at the Royal National Theatre, London.[9]

In summer 2006, Khan was invited by Kylie Minogue to choreograph a section of her Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour. 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.[10] He has made pieces for the Ballet Boyz and Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan.[11]

Akram Khan Company performing Vertical Road at Curve Theatre, Leicester in November 2010

Khan and his dance company performed at the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony. Live music was provided by Emeli Sandé singing "Abide With Me".[12][13][14]

In 2014, he choreographed for a ballet company for the first time, which was a World War I-themed ballet titled Dust, for the English National Ballet. Khan and Tamara Rojo danced the lead roles.[15]

The Manchester International Festival announced a co-production of Giselle between themselves English National Ballet and Sadler's Wells Theatre that was directed by Khan and performed at the Palace Theatre, Manchester in September 2016. The critically acclaimed production went on tour to Bristol Hippodrome, the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton and Sadler's Wells Theatre, London later in that year.[16][17]

"Since its formation, Akram Khan Company has become undisputedly one of the foremost innovative dance companies in the world. Khan has become a global icon for his use of collaboration, ensemble production, and especially his unique mix of Kathak and contemporary movement. Akram Khan Company is an associate artist at Sadler’s Wells Theatre and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London and Curve Theatre in Leicester."[4]

In June 2020, Khan had an online conversation with theatre critic and scholar Octavian Saiu. At the end, Saiu asked Khan to send their viewers a direct message for that critical moment during the pandemic. Talking about the importance of moving in a physical and spiritual sense, Khan invited everyone to "take that first step".[18]

He has two children as noted on the pbs show Articulate.

Awards, nominations and recognition

Year Award Category Result
2000 Jerwood Foundation Choreography Award[19] Won
Time Out Live Outstanding Newcomer to Dance Award[20] Won
The Critics' Circle National Dance Awards Outstanding Newcomer to Dance Award[20] Won
2002 The Critics' Circle National Dance Awards Best Modern Choreography[21] Won
Nijinsky Award Best Newcomer[20] Nominated
Dance Magazine 25 to Watch[20]
2004 The International Movimentos Tanzpreis Most Promising Newcomer in Dance[20] Won
An honorary Doctorate of Arts from De Montfort University Contribution to the UK arts community[22]
2005 MBE Services to dance[8]
The South Bank Show Award[23] Won
Critics' Circle National Dance Award Outstanding Male or Female Artist (Modern)[24] Won
2006 Laurence Olivier Award Zero Degrees (Akram Khan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Antony Gormley & Nitin Sawhney) for Best New Dance Production[25] Nominated
2007 International Theatre Institute Excellence in International Dance Award[7] Won
Helpmann Awards, Sydney, Australia Best Male Dancer[26] Won
Helpmann Awards, Sydney, Australia Zero Degrees for "Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work" Award[27] 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)][28] Nominated
South Bank Show Award[29] Won
The Age Critics Award Outstanding new work for Vertical Road at the Melbourne International Arts Festival.[30] Won
2011 International Society for the Performing Arts Distinguished Artist Award[31] Won
2012 Laurence Olivier Award DESH – Akram Khan Company for Best New Dance Production[32] Won
2015 The Critics' Circle National Dance Awards Best Modern Choreography[33] Won
Outstanding male performance (modern)[34] Nominated
2016 Prix Benois de la Danse Male dancer[35] Won

See also

References

  1. ↑ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007. Name: Akram Hossain Khan Registration Date: Jul 1974 [Aug 1974] [Sep 1974] Registration Quarter: Jul-Aug-Sep Registration District: Lambeth Inferred County: London Mother's Maiden Name: Aziz Volume Number: 14 Page Number: 0776
  2. ↑ Patterson, Christina (6 November 2009). "Akram Khan: 'You have to become a warrior'". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 7 November 2009. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
  3. ↑ "De Montfort University". Retrieved 3 September 2010. Akram Khan
  4. 1 2 "Home". Akram Khan Company. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  5. ↑ "British Bengali Success Stories". BritBangla. Retrieved 10 May 2011. Akram Khan
  6. ↑ "Southbank Centre History". Southbank Centre. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
  7. 1 2 "Associate artists". Sadler's Wells Theatre. Archived from the original on 16 August 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2010. Akram Khan
  8. 1 2 "Birthday Honours: MBE (Hopkins – Moore)". The Independent. 11 June 2005. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  9. ↑ "in-i – Productions – National Theatre". Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008. Akram Khan
  10. ↑ Blanchard, Tamsin (1 March 2008). "Akram Khan's body language". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
  11. ↑ Roy, Sanjoy (23 September 2009). "Step-by-step guide to dance: Akram Khan". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
  12. ↑ "Olympics opening ceremony role for dancer Akram Khan". BBC News. 9 July 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  13. ↑ "Akram Khan upset over NBC Olympic ceremony snub". BBC News. 29 July 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  14. ↑ "Akram Khan 'disappointed' NBC failed to show his dance at Olympics opening ceremony". The Daily Telegraph. 29 July 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  15. ↑ Parry, Jann (4 April 2014). "English National Ballet – Lest We Forget: No Man's Land, Second Breath, Dust, Firebird – London". DanceTabs.
  16. ↑ Williams, Verity (15 June 2016). "MIF's Giselle at The Palace Theatre, preview: Dancing to a different tune". Creative Tourist. Creative Tourist Ltd. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  17. ↑ "Giselle". mif.co.uk. Manchester International Festival. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016.
  18. ↑ "Program FITS 2020" (PDF).
  19. ↑ Ferguson, Stephanie (20 November 2000). "Akram Khan Company". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 "Akram Khan Company". Bahok2-Drama-Arts-China. British Council. Archived from the original on 2 July 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  21. ↑ "Akram Khan". culturebase.net. 2 July 2003. Retrieved 30 May 2006. Akram Khan
  22. ↑ "Our Graduates". Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2010. Akram Khan MBE
  23. ↑ "INI-Dance-Arts-China". Archived from the original on 16 May 2009. In–I by Akram Khan & Juliette Binoche
  24. ↑ "National Dance Awards Outstanding Male (Modern)". National Dance Awards. 2005. Retrieved 15 November 2010. Akram Khan
  25. ↑ "Laurence Olivier Awards the full nominations". The Times. 18 January 2006. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  26. ↑ "Nominations for 2007 Helpmann Awards". Australian Stage. 12 July 2007. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  27. ↑ "Olivier Winners 2006". Archived from the original on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
  28. ↑ "National Dance Awards finalists announced". Ballet News. 5 November 2010. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  29. ↑ "South Bank Sky Arts Awards 2011 nominees announced". Sky Arts. Archived from the original on 28 January 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  30. ↑ "And now ... it's the second annual M-ie awards". The Age. Melbourne. 14 November 2010.
  31. ↑ "International Society For Performing Arts". Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Akram Khan – 2011 Distinguished Artist Award Recipient
  32. ↑ "Akram Khan thanks Leicester's Curve theatre for Olivier win". BBC Local News Leicester. BBC. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  33. ↑ "2014 National Dance Awards – Winners Announced". DanceTabs. 26 January 2015.
  34. ↑ Mackrell, Judith (3 November 2014). "National Dance awards nominations give young artists a chance to shine". The Guardian.
  35. ↑ "2015". Prix Benois de la Danse.
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