Akram Hossain Khan, MBE () (born 29 July 1974)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 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 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.

Following later studies in Contemporary Dance at De Montfort University Akram Khan 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. His first full-length work Kaash, a collaboration with Anish Kapoor and Nitin Sawhney, was performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 2002. Akram Khan

As choreographer-in-residence and later associate artist at the Southbank Centre, 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. Akram Khan 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.

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

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. He has made pieces for the Ballet Boyz and Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan.

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

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.

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. In 2022, English National Ballet toured Khan's Giselle at Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City.

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".

Awards, nominations and recognition Year Award Category Result 2000 Jerwood Foundation Choreography Award Time Out Live Outstanding Newcomer to Dance Award The Critics' Circle National Dance Awards Outstanding Newcomer to Dance Award 2002 The Critics' Circle National Dance Awards Best Modern Choreography Akram Khan Nijinsky Award Best Newcomer Dance Magazine 25 to Watch 2004 The International Movimentos Tanzpreis Most Promising Newcomer in Dance An honorary Doctorate of Arts from De Montfort University Contribution to the UK arts community Akram Khan MBE 2005 MBE Services to dance The South Bank Show Award In–I by Akram Khan & Juliette Binoche Critics' Circle National Dance Award Outstanding Male or Female Artist (Modern) Akram Khan 2006 Laurence Olivier Award Zero Degrees (Akram Khan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Antony Gormley & Nitin Sawhney) for Best New Dance Production 2007 International Theatre Institute Excellence in International Dance Award Helpmann Awards, Sydney, Australia Best Male Dancer Helpmann Awards, Sydney, Australia Zero Degrees for "Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work" Award 2010 Critics' Circle National Dance Awards [Akram Khan Company dancers – Eulalia Ayguade Farro (Vertical Road, Bahok) & Yoshie Sunahata (Gnosis) for Outstanding Female Performance (Modern)] South Bank Show Award The Age Critics Award Outstanding new work for Vertical Road at the Melbourne International Arts Festival. 2011 International Society for the Performing Arts Distinguished Artist Award Akram Khan – 2011 Distinguished Artist Award Recipient 2012 Laurence Olivier Award DESH – Akram Khan Company for Best New Dance Production 2015The Critics' Circle National Dance AwardsBest Modern Choreography Outstanding male performance (modern) 2016Prix Benois de la DanseMale dancer

See also

British Bangladeshi List of British Bangladeshis What Do Artists Do All Day?

References

External links

Akram Khan Company website Archive film of Akram Khan Dance Company performing Kaash ("If") in 2003 at Jacob's Pillow Mackrell, Judith. All the right moves. The Guardian. 4 April 2001 Gilbert, Jenny. An audience with the rhythm king. The Independent. 20 April 2003 Acocella, Joan. Hard and Fast: What an Indian tradition can do for modern dance. The New Yorker. 23 October 2006 Crisp, Clement. Akram Khan, Sadler’s Wells, London. Financial Times. 17 November 2009 Poulton, Lindsay. Dancer Akram Khan: 'My body is my voice'. The Guardian. 9 December 2009 Mackerell, Judith. MoveTube: Why Akram Khan will command the Olympic stadium. The Guardian. 27 July 2012