Akram Khan (he/him) is an essential and world-renowned artist in the field of dance today. In just over 23 years he has created a body of work that has contributed significantly to the arts in the UK and abroad. His most famous works include Jungle Book Reimagined, Outwitting the Devil, XENOS, Until the Lions, Kaash, _iTMOi (in the mind of igor), DESH, Vertical Road, Gnosis and zero degrees.
Khan has been a magnet to world-class artists from other cultures and disciplines, including the National Ballet of China, actress Juliette Binoche, ballerina Sylvie Guillem, singer Kylie Minogue, indie rock band Florence and the Machine, visual artists Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormley and Tim Yip, writer Hanif Kureishi and composers Steve Reich, Nitin Sawhney, Jocelyn Pook and Ben Frost.
Khan's work is considered deeply moving, and can even be read as ritual, given the influence that classical Kathak dance has on it. "I see things through kathak eyes," we heard him say. Khan's first solos quickly caught the eye, as not only was he daring and inventive in his Kathak experiments, but he also proved to be a magnetic and mesmerizing dancer, capable of both captivating stillness and galvanic speed.
Throughout his career, Khan has received numerous awards. He has received two Laurence Olivier Awards, the Bessie Award - New York Dance and Performance, the ISPA Distinguished Artist (from the International Society for the Performing Arts), the Fred & Adele Astaire Award, the South Bank Sky Arts Award and nine Critics' Circle National Dance Awards, among many others.
