Akram Khan Company and Dance United Yorkshire join forces in a groundbreaking collaboration to present
Memories of the Future
The internationally acclaimed Akram Khan Company (AKC) announces an exciting collaboration with Dance United Yorkshire (DUY) for the creation of a groundbreaking new work titled Memories of the Future, premiering at the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford on 5 July 2025. Memories of the Future is a highlight of Bradford's tenure as the UK City of Culture 2025, reflecting the city’s vibrant cultural diversity and rich history.
This project combines Akram Khan’s artistic vision with the mission and participants of Dance United Yorkshire, an organisation led by Helen Linsell, renowned for using dance to inspire and transform the lives of marginalised and hard-to-reach communities in Yorkshire’s lowest arts engagement priority areas. The experience will culminate in a special one-off performance at the Alhambra Theatre.
Retaining Akram Khan Company’s production values, the performance will feature an original score by acclaimed composer Vincenzo Lamagna, a long-time AKC collaborator known for his work for Khan’s Giselle for English National Ballet, Outwitting the Devil and XENOS, among others. The project is committed to nurturing local talent and showcasing the area's cultural landscape. Two Yorkshire-based emerging choreographers have been invited to choreograph and oversee the creative process: Tallulah Shannon, a graduate of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, from Sheffield and John William-Watson, a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp, from Leeds.
Akram Khan, Artistic Director of Akram Khan Company, said: "Collaborating with Dance United Yorkshire feels particularly special to me as Helen Linsell and I both share a deep conviction in the transformative power of dance. Our mutual respect and shared vision will empower Tallulah and John to create a profound piece of dance that will resonate with the lived experiences of those who call Bradford home. We also look forward to supporting and mentoring them, and watching their choreographic skills develop on such an ambitious project.”
Helen Linsell, Artistic Director of Dance United Yorkshire, said: "Partnering with the Akram Khan Company on this innovative community project marks a significant milestone for Dance United Yorkshire. Through the prestigious platform of Bradford 2025, we have a unique opportunity to empower some of Bradford's most vulnerable individuals. It is an immense honour to do so under the visionary leadership of Akram Khan, whose passion for dance as a force for social change aligns deeply with our own."
Memories of the Future will attract audiences from across the UK and beyond to leave a legacy in the city, further highlighting Bradford’s role as a cultural beacon and its ability to inspire through dance. The creative process commences on 23 September 2024 at Kala Sangam in Bradford.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
World Premiere 5 July 2025 at Alhambra Theatre, Bradford
For more information or to arrange interviews with Akram Khan and Helen Linsell, please contact Chelsea Robinson at chelsea@akramkhancompany.net
About Akram Khan Company
In July 1999 in the foyer of the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, an animated and curiosity-filled conversation took place between the young, gifted dancer/choreographer Akram Khan and an ambitious former dancer and just recently graduated arts manager Farooq Chaudhry. That conversation laid the foundation stone for a dynamic collaboration, culminating in the creation of Akram Khan Company one year later.
Inspired by Akram Khan’s early training in the Indian classical dance form Kathak, and the hybrid language that organically emerged when Akram’s kathak training encountered contemporary dance in his teens, a vision began to form, fuelled by a desire to learn and create through collaboration with the very best people across all the disciplines in the arts.
The rules were simple: take risks, think big and daring, explore the unfamiliar, avoid compromise and tell stories through dance that are compelling and relevant, with artistic integrity.
In over 23 years, Akram Khan Company is now undisputedly one of the foremost innovative dance companies in the world. The programmes range from kathak and modern solos to artist-to-artist collaborations and ensemble productions. The Company has a major international presence and enjoys busy tours that reach out to many cultures and peoples across the globe. Akram Khan has been the recipient of numerous international dance awards, the most notable being an Olivier Award for his solo production DESH in 2012.
A milestone in the Company’s journey was the creation of a section of the London Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in 2012.
Akram Khan Company enjoys artistic association with Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London, Curve in Leicester, and other leading venues and festivals around the world.
About Dance United Yorkshire
Since 2011, Dance United Yorkshire (DUY), based in Bradford, has delivered high-quality, contemporary dance activities that create access to the arts and support some of society's most marginalised people, including those suffering from poor mental health, poverty, social isolation, displacement, and experience of the criminal justice system. Over 80% of our participants live in areas in the lowest 5% on the National Indices of Deprivation. By bringing people together around ambitious creative opportunities we raise aspirations, empower those facing socio-economic challenges, and contribute to positive mental and physical health.
We deliver weekly classes, bespoke intensive projects, outreach initiatives, intergenerational and cross-community projects and performance platforms. The majority of our work takes place in Bradford but we have delivered projects across the Yorkshire region, nationally and internationally. We use contemporary dance because it is a powerful tool for social inclusion; it is interpretative and adaptive, allowing non-dancers to progress quickly, irrespective of ability and experience. We also commission outstanding choreographers and companies to create original work for non-dancers, tailoring each session to individual abilities and needs. Over the years this has included Luca Silvestrini’s Protein, 2Faced Dance Company, Jasmin Vardimon Company, Company Chameleon, and Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures.
DUY creates a range of cross-sector partnerships to develop projects and recruit participants. We work with local authorities, social services, NHS Children and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS), youth justice services, prisons, and education providers to engage people who have never experienced dance due to cultural and economic barriers. We create a welcoming, non-judgmental environment where participants can explore dance, be creative, challenge themselves and achieve beyond their expectations.
About Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture
Bradford becomes the fourth UK City of Culture in January 2025. The district was selected by the UK Government in May 2022 from a record-breaking 20 bids, following Derry (2013), Hull (2017) and Coventry (2021) to take on one of the most prestigious and transformative titles in UK culture.
Bradford 2025 takes place throughout Bradford District, which covers 141 square miles across West Yorkshire. It features performances, exhibitions, events and activities inspired by the extraordinary variety of this landscape, from the city’s historic centre to the breathtaking countryside that surrounds it. It pays homage to Bradford’s potent heritage as everything from a former industrial powerhouse to the world’s first UNESCO City of Film. Most of all, it celebrates the people of Bradford, from local artists and creative organisations to the diverse communities who call Bradford home.
Bradford 2025 is created for, with and by the people of Bradford – and it has young people at its heart. With more than a quarter of its population aged under 20, Bradford is one of the UK’s youngest cities. Bradford 2025 is proudly reflecting this youth across all aspects of its programme, from education, skills and training projects to new artistic commissions centred on the lives, concerns and ambitions of young people today.
Bradford 2025 is set to spotlight Bradford’s dynamic contemporary arts and culture, from dance and theatre to film, music and even food. At the same time, it will cement Bradford’s reputation as one of the most welcoming places in the UK for artists, producers and creative entrepreneurs, with international exchanges, development programmes and new cultural investment benefiting the entire district.
The impact of UK City of Culture will continue long after the end of next year. The district’s designation has already brought significant investment to the region, and Bradford 2025 is set to serve as a catalyst for development, regeneration and change – reshaping Bradford for the benefit of future generations.
About Tallulah Shannon
Tallulah is a dance artist based in Sheffield. She is a recent graduate of Northern School of Contemporary Dance, where she worked with choreographers such as Gary Clarke and Carlos Pons Guerra. Tallulah is a passionate maker and performer with a love for community - during her time in training she found joy in running her own community dance project with Mothers and Daughters in her hometown in Derbyshire. Her work is highly collaborative, fun and inclusive and she is honoured and excited to be a part of the Memories of the Future project.
About John William-Watson
After graduating from The Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp in 2019, they swiftly carved a path for themselves creating critically acclaimed, surreal, self-described ‘dance-plays’ - often exploring the interplay between science fiction, dark-comedy and contemporary dance. Creating “laugh-out-loud” worlds on stage that “look at the absurdity of the world with a smile.” - The Stage
Watson has previously received commissions from organisations such as Sadler’s Wells, Messums West and The Riley Theatre. Touring and creating shows nationally and internationally their work has been described by Article 19 as “just what the wide world of dance needs right now.”