Akram Khan has been getting lots of press coverage lately. The dancer famous for his critically acclaimed work Kaash (If) recently participated in the San Francisco International Arts Festival.
Born and raised in London, Khan is the son of Mosharaf and Anwara, immigrants from Bangladesh. His mother, in particular, pushed his interest in dance. He studied kathak under the tutelage of guru Sri Pratap Pawar and later attended Northern School of Contemporary Dance, where he graduated with the highest marks ever awarded.
For Kaash, Khan, 29, collaborated with composer Nitin Sawhney and sculptor Anish Kapoor. Based on Shiva, the Hindu god who is both destroyer and creator, Kaash alludes to reincarnation and the full circle of life.
The Toronto Star recently did a piece on him:
Between the still figure standing with his back to us as the audience files in, and the same dancer slowly arching his arms on the darkening stage, Kaash spills forth with the energy of a video on fast-forward. But not in a blur: the five dancers in Akram Kahn Dance Company, performing till tomorrow night at Premiere Dance Theatre, execute each gesture with precision and clarity.It's like watching a glorious, many-coloured Eastern wall-hanging take shape, stitch by stitch. Kahn's dance language is both highly ornamental and stripped-down modern.
London-based Kahn, the 29-year-old son of Bangladeshi immigrants, grew up dancing Kathak, the classical dance of northern India. His choreography was shaped by subsequent training in contemporary dance, ballet and the modern techniques of Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham.
To say he is a dynamic performer would be an understatement. Hailed by critics wherever his company performs, Kahn is to dance what Hanif Kureishi is to English literature, a dazzling stylist, mixing elements of East and West into a new form of expression.
There is more from the Jerusalem Post:
Back in 2000, Kahn was awarded best newcomer by the Critic’s Circle’s Dance Section and Time Out Live. Two years later, the South Bank Dance Show Awards nominated him for Best Choreography, and in April 2003, Kahn became Associate Artist to the London’s Royal Festival Hall.
Does anybody remember the main song from Kaash?
naaz
Posted by: Naaz | Jan 06, 2004 at 07:15 PM
Does anybody remember the main song from Kaash?
naaz
Posted by: Naaz | Jan 06, 2004 at 07:16 PM