Based in England 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 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 framework that organises bodies, 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 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 and literature to create performances. I view choreography as a system of organisation and meaning making, interested in the invisible labour of practice 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 and to create without apology”.

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