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 the age of seven and studied with the great Kathak dancer and teacher Sri Pratap Pawar. He began his stage career at the age of 14, when he was cast in Peter Brook’s legendary production of Mahabharata, appearing in the televised version of the play broadcast in 1988. Following 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), for which he received a South Bank Show Award (2005); zero degrees (2005), a collaboration with dancer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, sculptor Antony Gormley and composer Nitin Sawhney, premiered at Sadler’s Wells and was nominated for a Lawrence Olivier Award in 2006. zero degrees won Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work and Akram won the award for Best Male Dancer in the prestigious annual Helpmann Awards held in Sydney, Australia in August 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 later that year. Akram Khan was also invited by Kylie Minogue in summer 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. Akram Khan’s collaboration with Juliette Binoche premiered at The National Theatre, London, in September 2008.