Akram Khan, recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Artist Award and Keynote Speaker at the New York 2011 Congress, The Art of Collaboration.  View the full Schedule of Events.  View other ISPA Award winners.

Akram Khan

Akram Khan is one of the most acclaimed choreographers of his generation working in Britain today. Born in London into a family of Bangladeshi origin in 1974, he began dancing at seven. He studied with the great Kathak dancer and teacher Sri Pratap Pawar.

He began presenting solo performances of his work in the 1990s, maintaining his commitment to classical kathak as well as modern work. In August 2000, he launched Akram Khan Dance Company with producer Farooq Chaudhry, which has provided him with a platform for innovation and a diverse range of work through collaboration with artists from other disciplines.

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. He remained an Associate Artist at the Southbank Centre until April 2005 and is currently an Associate Artist at Sadler’s Wells.

Vertical Road is Khan's latest contemporary ensemble work, and continues his ambition to explore the interface between different cultures and creative disciplines. He brings together a host of performers and artists from East and West.

Gnosis is his latest solo work in which he combines his classical Indian and contemporary dance roots and is accompanied by world-class musicians from India, Japan, Pakistan and United Kingdom.

His recent work In-I, a collaboration with Oscar-winning actress, Juliette Binoche and Anish Kapoor, has just finished a major international tour. His company piece, bahok, with music by Nitin Sawhney, has been critically acclaimed and is currently touring internationally.

Other works include Sacred Monsters, featuring ballerina Sylvie Guillem; Variations, a collaboration with London Sinfonietta in celebration of Steve Reich’s 70th birthday; and zero degrees, a collaboration with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Antony Gormley and Nitin Sawhney, received the prestigious Helpmann Award in Australia for ‘Best Choreography in a Dance Work’ in 2007.  In 2006, Akram Khan was invited by Kylie Minogue to choreograph a section of her Showgirl concert, which opened in Australia in November that year.

Amongst his earlier notable company works are Kaash (2002), a collaboration with artist Anish Kapoor and composer Nitin Sawhney, and ma (2004), with text by Hanif Kureishi, for which he received a South Bank Show Award in 2005.

He has been the recipient of numerous awards throughout his career and was awarded an MBE for services to dance in 2005.