Akram Khan is the new dance phenomenon to hit the world stage. According to the New York Times, Khan is "one of the most talked about young dance makers on the international scene". The Financial Times reviewer rhapsodizes "Not since Mark Morris emerged in the mid 1980s have I seen any dancer-choreographer so able, so accomplished; and in certain ways Khan's sheer mastery is more awesome." Khan's dance company's first production, "Kaash" (which means "if" in Urdu) was a world-wide success with sets by sculptor painter Anish Kapoor, and music by composer Nitin Sawheny, both superstars in their own right in Britain today. Most recently, Khan choreographed a piece called "Ma" written by acclaimed writer Hanif Kureishi that debuted in May this year in Singapore.

Khan is known for his innovative sensibility in bringing Kathak and modern dance together in an organic movement. Of Bengali origin, Khan was born and raised in London where his mother put him in dance classes when he was very young. Kathak is a traditional dance of Northern India; it was originated by kahthakas, a group of male dancers who were storytellers that traveled throughout India narrating the Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. When the Mughals ruled over India, they gave Kathak special court patronage and the dance form was developed further with influence from Persia. It is a technical and rhythmic dance with a great deal of spinning, stylized gestures and intricate foot movement coordinated with the counts of the music. Traditionally, Kathak dancers wear anklets with bells but in Khan's company, everyone dances bare feet with naked ankles as in modern dance.

	Akram Khan's Website

Classic dance tradition like ballet and Kathak is known for structured formalized movement whereas modern dance is all about breaking those restrictions, setting the body free, being fluid instead of erect. When Akram Khan entered the world of modern dance at twenty-one after years of Kathak training, he felt his body plunge into a whirlpool of confusion and reaction at the contradicting sensations and instructions of the two dance genres. The result, according to Khan, is the chaotic yet perfectly calm co-existence of the two traditions within one body and one movement. Once he began to notice the Kathak in the modern dance, and the modern dance in the Kathak, much to the frustration of his teachers, Khan decided to explore the interaction further and create a new movement language which his company calls 'Contemporary Kathak'.

Khan finds Kathak particularly inspirational because it differs from other traditional forms in its representation of Hindu and Muslim culture and especially because it has an almost mathematical structure in its rhythms and energetic movements. To quote Khan, "At its base lies a contradiction: within a chaotic environment, finding clarity". Combined with his training in modern dance, Khan has created a dance movement which is a brilliant spectacle of speed and stillness. Khan pushes his dancers to move faster, to experiment and not to be afraid of imperfection in movement. In an interview to the Guardian, Khan said, "I hope when people watch us, they are excited because they can see the struggle and feel the sense of risk."