My Chosen Practitioner

Akram Khan is a globally renowned and established innovative choreographer within the Contemporary Dance Scene. I was particularly drawn to Akram Khan due to his eclectic use of styles and choreographic movement, which is subject to his training and personal experiences / influences from his childhood. Khan’s style is a seamless blend of Kathak (a form of Indian Classical Dance) and Contemporary dance, which I find intriguing as his choreography consists of complex footwork and structures which is complemented with complex musicality and abstract movements. Khan frequently draws upon pop culture and social issues, as well as enquiring the need for dramatic qualities and theatricality within the choreograph (established from some of his influences such as Charlie Chaplin, Fred Astaire and Bruce Lee).

Khan frequently collaborates with other artists as well as companies such as the English National Ballet. This is important as it makes his works and choreography more diverse and experimental, where he receives new depths of knowledge and practices due to the versatility and variety of styles he is exposed to when collaborating with differing artists. Khan wants the dancers to be “involved” (Keesler, M. 2016) and to explore “different ideas or inspirations' ' (Keesler, M. 2016) which is a key part to his collaborative / creative process.

It is important to note that Khan heavily involves primary research into his creative process. This can be seen when he travelled to Bangladesh to learn about the culture first hand to create authenticity and accuracy within his work “Desh”. This intrigued me as he is widening audiences perceptions and knowledge; his works are educational as well as entertaining. 

Khan has won many awards and accolades within his time as a choreographer, most notably being awarded the title of MBE for his services to the dance scene in Britain (as well as internationally). Other notable achievements include a Laurence Olivier Award and eight Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards.

References / Bibliography 

Akram Khan’s Giselle: The Creative Process. (2016) Video. Consultants Rojo, T. Keesler, M. Manchester. United Kingdom. 

Akram Khan Company (2015). Biography - Akram Khan. Available at Akram Khan - Akram Khan Company. [accessed 19th October 2021]


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