Artist Entrepreneur Par Excellence - Pulse Magazine Winter 2008

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ccomc an intrjguinq, deep, proloLlrld lrnd sensitive porlrJytl of the
notion of love belween nlen and womcn. On thc u'hole contemporery
dance doesn't do thAt. whereas ballets like S$|rn l,rke or Ciselle do it all
the lime."
Prelerring to hnd solutions rather than dwell on lhe revieu's, hc
quickly points to the diffcrcnt xpproaches that the rrtists hAve brorLght
to the work- 'Juliette felt lhdt as long rs il wirs closc to hcr own
pcrsonnl cxpcricnccs, shc urcLlld convcy u'h:rt love meAns to people,
$'hereas Aklim telt thrt ds long it \rds universirlised that u'()lrlcl be
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YOU IaVe
enouch. But Lhe truth is that neither visiotl wxs in thc right pl:rce. lt
nccds somconc to sit bet\,veen a uniYersalised dnd penondlised nessage
so that the substrnce [ee]s drdwn from within as wcll as be externilly
ne:1ningflll. " With a \vorld tour alreadv under w|rv. chances dre beins
nrde on tlle ll)r. 'Wc vc bccn doing a lol in thc l:rst tc$ weeks to bring
those elements a lot closer together-."
This is Chaudhry's nindset b hnd solutions:rnd keep chugging
on rather than be strlrck down at Lhe lrrsL sign oi hdrdship. Refusing
to gct bogged do$'n in thc rcvic\,vs, hc insists :rfter being initially hur t,
he s quickly t:rken lessous fbm] the eliperieice. "There is an elcmcnt
in English socicty that when you become too successful, they want to
knock the legs h-om undernedth you and pLLt you in )our pl:rcc. BLlt its
likc thAl Rud)'ard K\)ling s:rid: 'success and t:lilure are two imposton'.
You haYe to keep on doiig u41at you belie\,e in-"
,qnd it is that beliefthat has tbllowed ChAudhrv throughout his life.
Born in Pskistrn rnd irrst arrivinlj $'ith his lamilv 1o Wcst Kenslngk)ll
in thc 1960s. hc concedes to believing th:rt the str-eets wele paved \,vith
gold tlnd liied with hopes rnd lspirrlions' onlv to hnd it was in fAct the
opposite.
Rrcism rt thdt Lirne wrs rite. "trr1y dacl wxs x PhD maths professor
and could balelv get irjob ls:r secrtr-itv guard. My mum had come lronl
au illluent familJ/ in Luhorc and cncled up ha\,ing to do numerolrs
nightshifts in deAd endjobs. Thefe !v$ no respect br AsiAns. :tnd the
inpcct of thxt \,vas horrcndolls." Whcn his sistcr eventually returned
Io Pakist:rn xnd his parents ended up divorced. Chaudhr)r describcs
becoming "cliscnfranchised and cut off from temily cultur-e irnd seli".
He soon fell into locirl gxngsi \ /her-e lle wrs cvetl cdught stcaling cars
rnd burgiing houses.
Yet ever'l thlough the darkest oi Limes, the need to slrrvivc
and protcct himself clearlv cultivited en entrepreneurial instjncl
$'hich marrilested itsell everl in slexling items and sclling thcm on
to classmatcs. Chxudhrv describes himselfas always having had an
elenent of the 'slil ewd opportr.lnislic schemer' inside him. The turning
point cane after:rttending Peper Harro\ '. a therapy school lor troubled
childrcn, whcn he t:rpped into his innate creetive energ]' evenLudllv
\\'inning a place dl Sussex Universitv.
BLll il is thc naturilschemer irTside hinr driven bv his desires that he
attributes to nldn\' oI his bolder decisions. Thcy inclllde leaving Sussex
Univcrsity after one dence lessoll to pursLre lhe fot-nl lull tidc, arncd
only with lhe knor"vledge lh*t dancc wls a wav of'gelting closer to
mvsclf.''Ihc need for re invention culn'linated in hiln leaving London s
dance scene shortly Aiterwards and vcnturing to Europe eventuAlly
worliing under Anne Terese De Keersmaeker-, Lhen relurninc to thc
t/ l
I T 'l
Krpilng sayrng: success anc larlure are Dotn
in kppn nn dnind
\^i h;rt \/nrr hplipvp in '
UK, setting up as i producer and ddministralor dnd latcr mceting
Khan and selling his flat to flrncl their hrst joint project. "li _voLL strip
e$'ay the sedness irnd isolation oi nlv earlv li1e. th.lt ability to cre:lte
opportunilics xg:rinst diffrcult oclcls is a skill ih:lt 1 \,e acclujred."
The funding stmctures thdl CllrlLdhrl and I{h:rn have compiled
loo arc an cnbodinrent of thet. Rather thAn constantlv going c.tp in
hand to a fur'ldir'rg bodr, he mdnrlges t$'o scparate colnp:uies: Akram
Khan Comprny, which produces experimerrt:11 $'ork and iivites p|'lbiic
funding ("lt s well protected and continues the spirit of internAtional
cnsemble work"). Khen Cheudhry Productions. tlle ilrnl behind ln I
me:rr!vl'lile is entircly pdvrtcly fundcd. "Thcrc is :1 high level of risk.
lf Juliette got injured for example, $'e could both lose our houscs," he
says nonchahnlly. "BLLt the blend of high risk and lorv risk projects in
terms of the business frirmework is impor-ttnl. It keeps \'ou out of vour
inlnredirte comlort zonc, that is good for:lnlbition. '
Ch:rudhr\,is excited about what the tutLlre holds. IIe and Khan
rr-fh.r
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agatnst ctmcutL oclcls ts a sKilt tnat
I'rre :rcrrired "
' '- --'1 -
.'-'
are currently ploLling a "Middlc lasi rclatcd project" And looking at
pcrtbrming opporttlllities AheAd of London's 2012 Ollmpics.
For nor,v, he s hxcd frrmly in thc momcnt. Chaudhrv is preplring tc)
fly to l{ome b meet Khxn and Binoche on tlte latest leg of In I, whcre
he expecls to nedi|ltc bclwccn Khan and I]inoche As thev toLlch up
the last pieces ol the perfornrance. "lt's been tn dtndzing wcck. " he
srys, rcferring to Lewis I lamilton u'inning the crand Prix and Bsrrck
Obama's jolll nev ever- closer to The White House. "When you talk about
people thal can conc out of reLative obscurity and build then'tselves
into hgures of respect and win pldudits lor thcir rchievcmcrts, that
re.illv inspircs me." Herring his sbrv, it's easy to seefvhy.
W NTER 2OO8 PULSE