Based in London and trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds, Akshay Sharma creates emotionally resonant, intellectually rigorous work at the intersection of contemporary dance and the ancient vocal form of Dhrupad. His practice is rooted in a regimen of disciplined rehearsal, critical reflection, and emotional inquiry—an approach that unites movement, voice, and narrative into cohesive, living structures.

Born and raised in India, he brings a cross-cultural perspective to his work—bridging geographical, disciplinary, and cultural boundaries. He conceives choreography as a dynamic framework that organises bodies, breath, space, sound, and narrative into cohesive, living structures.

“My relationship to the Indian form is through classical music, here creatively informing the dramaturgy of the work, using specific musical structures, rhythms and textures from the highly complex and emotive Dhrupad Hindustani tradition alongside new contemporary scores”.

CHOREOGRAPHY AS ORGANISATION

“My choreographic practice emerges from a deep commitment to hybridity, clarity, and emotional truth. At its core, my work investigates how structure, sensation, and identity intersect in the body. I draw from Western contemporary dance, Indian classical music, literature, and ritual to create performances that are both formally rigorous and emotionally resonant. I view choreography as a system of organisation and meaning-making, interested in the invisible labour of practice and the exchange of value — attention, presence, time — within creative work.

I see my practice as part of a global conversation among artists from the global majority who are redefining contemporary dance. The work becomes an offering that cultivates an ecology of permission — to move, to question, to create without apology”.

His work has been supported by Arts Council England, London Contemporary Dance School, Yorkshire Dance, Bradford Arts Center, DanceCity, Dance Umbrella, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, and Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi.