Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
A dancer and choreographer renowned for fusing classical Indian dance with contemporary movement.
On the island
Eight records
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
It's the moment of transformation for me as a child. I was early teens and I remember nobody knew me. I was a very shy person and I couldn't communicate. Words weren't something I was comfortable with, especially around girls. And then there's this disco competition held at school and my friend said, oh, go for it, go for it. And I went up for it and I did Michael Jackson. And from that day on, everybody knew who Akman Khan was because I won the competition. So it's a very, very important moment for me of kind of realizing that my body was my language. It was the first time I discovered my body became my way of communicating.
You know, I'm a very physical dancer and animalistic in my dance approach. I've always been. And when I heard the song I realized that this guy has a fragility that is extremely powerful in his voice. And I was always under the assumption that fragility is something weak. And so this song gave me permission. The way he sings it gave me permission to realize that actually I in my dance I want to search for that sense of fragility.
It's a song my mother used to sing when I was a child and so when I heard this song, this new modern version, it just reminded me of my childhood with my mother. I was very fragile as a child and my mother would sing me this song to sleep, but just her voice singing this song always made me feel I had some kind of security blanket.
Spiritual songs have always attracted me for some reason. What's beautiful about the song is that in between the verses is where the spirituality lies.
When I just finished the Mahabarat and I came back to London and I discovered Prince and for me Prince was very rebellious. He never wanted to conform and I was going through that rebellious stage. But so Sign of the Times I I like very much because of the words, but I think Prince is a is a great great example of um not conforming.
Spiegel im SpiegelFavourite
You know, I was born and brought up in London, southwest London. London's a very special place because it's chaotic, it's full of so many different cultures, energies, different languages. You really have to be on another gear. And this is the only music that brings me down to tranquillity. And it was also my wedding song.
Left field. There's nothing profound about this music. If I'm really tired in the morning and I know I have to go and do the same warm-up, this is the only music. It's like a bit like equivalent to Rocky for men who go to the gym. Well, my assumption is they're listening to Rocky, you know, the theme tune. So this is my version of Rocky.
Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet
This is a very profound song, I have to say. Um it was Gavin Bryers who recorded this um Homeless Man and um I come predominantly from the classical world. We're always trying to achieve perfection in the classical world. But I by hearing this song I realized the power of imperfection. He doesn't sing in perfect tune, but there's a truth. His words have weight because he's living it. He's lived it. And it's coming from a very deep place and this song really reflects that moment of me being awakened to um the power of imperfection.
In conversation
Presenter asks
1:20Give me an idea of the kind of training you do each day.
It's different now to the way I used to train before. I mean, you know, when I when I was younger I used to train uh eight hours a day, but now I usually train for three hours. You know, I put on my belt. It's like a ritual, it's like a prayer for me.
Presenter asks
2:35Is it something to do with your age that you've got the [Achilles tendon] injury?
Um no, it's it's to do with arrogance, I think, really. There comes a point where you start to believe you're indestructible and uh I just took the body for granted and my body spoke back.
Presenter asks
10:22Why did your parents leave [Bangladesh]?
My parents wanted a better education, and my father had dreams of moving to London and uh starting a business up. I mean, actually he came to study accountancy, but he wanted to have his own business and he felt he could achieve that in the West. And in Bangladesh it was a it was a real struggle.
Presenter asks
The keepsakes
What are your early memories of your mother?
She she's very special. She's my guide, my spiritual guide I would say. She was very much into poetry. She went to Dhaka University, she studied language, Bengali language, and uh when she came here she just befriended so many people and she was someone who was open.
Presenter asks
15:36What was it like to be holding people's attention [when dancing as a child]?
It was great. It was great. I mean, you know, it's like being allowed to speak for the first time after however many years. Finding the language that you can speak in and people taking notice of that. It's such a such a uplifting feeling and suddenly the insecurity is immediately filled with confidence.
Presenter asks
32:41How on earth will you cope alone [on the island]? Do you think you'll be good with your own company?
Uh no. No, I don't think I would. I'm terrified of being alone. I'm terrified of confronting myself. I think that's that's the one thing I'm very terrified of.
“There comes a point where you start to believe you're indestructible and uh I just took the body for granted and my body spoke back. It starts to speak back to you when it starts to hurt.”
“I'm a dreamer, and that was my biggest problem as a child. I couldn't sit in front of a desk. But the second I danced, my attention lasted longer than a minute.”
“In a sense, talent doesn't go very far, it is what it is, you can't grow it. Hard work, you can continue to grow and so eventually I surpassed my sister.”
“In school I was very shy. Second I'm on stage in front of hundreds of people, I'm completely shyless. So it's two extremes of of my personality as a child.”