Akram Khan

Akram Khan is one of the most original and celebrated choreographers on the international dance scene. Acclaimed for his physicality and hybrid dance language rooted in the ancient Indian dance of kathak, his work constantly evolves to embrace new art forms and collaborations. In August 2000 he launched his own company which has since produced a series of highly acclaimed works in collaboration with artists including Anish Kapoor, Nitin Sawhney, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Anthony Gormley and Sylvie Guillem. In 2005 Akram became an associated artist of Sadler's Wells Theatre and was awarded an MBE for his services to the UK dance community.

In 2008 Akram Khan Company premiered two major new productions, bahok, a work choreographed by Akram Khan in collaboration with the National Ballet of China and In-I a duet with Oscar-winning actress Juliette Binoche. bahok explores the ways in which the body carries national identity and a sense of belonging. Khan's dancers come from diverse cultures, traditions and dance backgrounds; Chinese, Korean, Indian, South African and Spanish, and this rich mix of both spoken and dance language pushes the boundaries of movement vocabulary. bahok continues to tour throughout Europe in 2009.

In-I is co-directed and performed by Juliette Binoche and Akram Khan with set design by Anish Kapoor. In-I takes both artists in new directions: Juliette Binoche learned to dance having never danced on stage before and Akram Khan acted for the first time since is childhood role in Peter Brook's Mahabharata. In-I premiered at the National Theatre, London on 18 September 2008, and then toured internationally during 2009. In-I will be staged in New York and Paris in the autumn of 2009.

In November 2009, Akram Khan will premiere a new solo work for the first time in four years, Gnosis, which will open the Indian festival Svapnagata at Sadler's Wells (16 - 28 November 2009). The festival has been co-curated Akram Khan and Nitin Sawhney and brings together a wealth of Indian music and dance which has both a classical and contemporary outlook.


   www.akramkhancompany.net