Akram Khan, the dancer who transcends time

Khan has spent a lifetime exploring the primeval urge every human body shares: to move. For him, it’s an instinctive way of sharing a truth and honesty that’s louder than words.

Born in London to Bangladeshi parents, Khan couldn’t speak a full sentence correctly in English until he was seven, yet by three, he could perform 15-minute choreographed dance routines. He started skipping school in favour of hiding out in his parents’ garage, obsessively watching videos of Fred Astaire, Charlie Chaplin, Bruce Lee, Buster Keaton and Muhammed Ali – they were like his superheroes.

His mother was stunned when she found out but realised that dance wasn’t just something he wanted to do; it was something he needed to do.  Determined to help her son, she became his first dance teacher by sharing her own passion of Bangladeshi folk dance from her war-torn homeland. She wanted to pass down her culture, so his body became a kind of living library. 

At 13, Khan toured for more than a year with legendary theatre director Peter Brook in an epic dusk to-dawn production of the Sanskrit saga, Mahabharata. At university, he began studying contemporary dance alongside the kathak tradition he’d grown up with. This is when his body started to feel confused. His solution was to get curious, to find clarity in the chaos, and that’s what he’s been doing ever since.

Since founding his dance company in 2000, Khan has been celebrated for the seamless way he fuses ancient and modern Eastern and Western cultures – creating movement that moves us all. His diverse list of collaborators encompasses singers Kylie Minogue and Florence Welch, artists Anish Kapoor and Antony Gormley, and dance companies from around the world. For many his name really came to the fore when he choreographed and performed part of London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony – a moment he’ll always cherish.

Another poignant career highlight was his reimagining of Jungle Book. As a little boy watching cartoons and reading comics, there was never a character he could relate to. When he saw Disney’s version of Jungle Book, he suddenly felt represented. It inspired him to be the role model he longed for as a child, encouraging others to get up and take part – and this he believes is his greatest legacy.

Khan is the embodiment of ‘born to do it’ yet doesn’t see himself as super gifted and remains modest about his achievements. For him, life is all about the power of persistence and transforming failure into winning. Here’s to his continued talent for delighting audiences by bringing people together to transcend time and live in the moment.