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Original Score by Nitin Sawhney. An artist talk will be held prior to the show at 7:00pm . Following its highly successful world tour, Akram Khan Company, for the 1st time ever in Qatar, presents Vertical Road. Pre show discussion, inspired by the content and artistic process of the work, will be held in the Drama Theatre in Katara. Vertical Road is Akram Khan’s latest contemporary ensemble work, for which Khan has assembled a cast of very special performers from across Asia, Europe and the Arab World. With a specially commissioned score by a long term collaborator, composer Nitin Sawhney, Vertical Road draws inspiration from the Sufi tradition and the Persian poet and philosopher Rumi. Exploring man’s earthly nature, his rituals and the consequences of human actions, Vertical Road becomes a meditation on the journey from gravity to grace. The Vertical Road regional tour and associated activities are part of the British Council’s “New Work New Audiences” arts project which allows audiences in the region and the UK to experience the power of arts in developing cultural understanding, trust and dialogue. Akram Khan One of the most acclaimed choreographers of his ‎generation working in Britain today, Akram Khan was born in London into a family of‎ Bangladeshi origin. He began dancing at seven and studied with the ‎renowned kathak dancer and teacher Sri Pratap Pawar. Akram Khan founded his company in 2000 with producer Farooq Chaudhry. The company established itself as one of the foremost innovative dance companies in the world, with performers from across Asia , Europe and the Arab World. The company tours extensively in the united kingdom and internationally, performing at leading venues and festivals and has been awarded several prestigious honours including the “Age Critics Award” for best new work (Vertical Road) at 2010 Melbourne Festival.