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Akram Khan

Akram Khan is one of the most acclaimed choreographers of his generation working in Britain today. Born in London in 1974, into a family of Bangladeshi origin, he began dancing at the age of seven and studied with the great Kathak dancer and teacher Sri Pratap Pawar. He began his stage career aged 14, when he was cast in Peter Brook’s legendary production of Mahabharata, appearing in the TV version in 1988. After later studies in contemporary dance, he began presenting solo performances of his work in the 1990s, maintaining his commitment to the classical kathak repertoire as well as modern work. Among his best-known solo pieces are: Polaroid Feet (2001), Ronin (2003) and Third Catalogue (2005).
In August 2000, he launched his own company, and among his most notable company works are Kaash (2002), a collaboration with artist Anish Kapoor and composer Nitin Sawhney; ma (2004), winning a South Bank Show Award (2005); zero degrees (2005), a collaboration with dancer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, sculptor Antony Gormley and composer Nitin Sawhney, which premiered at Sadler’s Wells and was nominated for an Olivier Award in 2006. zero degrees won Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work and Akram Khan won the award for Best Male Dancer in the prestigious annual Helpmann Awards held in Sydney, Australia in 2007.
Sacred Monsters, a major new work featuring ballerina Sylvie Guillem, with additional choreography by Taiwanese choreographer Lin Hwai Min premiered at Sadler’s Wells in September 2006.  Another of his most recent projects is Variations, a collaboration with London Sinfonietta to celebrate the 70th birthday of Steve Reich, which premiered in Cologne in March 2006, and toured to Europe and America. Akram Khan was also invited by Kylie Minogue in 2006 to choreograph a section of her new Showgirl concert which opened in Australia in November 2006, and toured to the UK (London and Manchester) in January 2007.  
A new work, bahok, a unique collaboration with the National Ballet of China and choreographed by Akram Khan, had its world premiere in Beijing in January 2008 and its UK premiere in March at the Liverpool Playhouse. bahok is currently touring worldwide.
Akram Khan is married and lives in London.