Farooq Choudhary: Master of Arts Management

Ask Farooq Choudhary and he’ll tell you why commerce isn’t really a bad word in the art world. A former professional dancer who graduated from the London Contemporary Dance School, she is one of the most successful international dance company producers today. You might think of a producer’s role in a dance production, but Farooq has proved why the inputs of a sharp creative and business mind are just as important as that of a choreographer.

Co-founder and producer of the globally recognized Akram Khan Company, Farooq knows well how not to compromise on artistic excellence while creating economically viable dance projects.

Over the past two decades, she has identified collaborations that have facilitated the progress of dance across cultures. Of course, renowned dancer-choreographer Akram Khan’s unique contemporary vocabulary, which has its roots in Kathak, inspired Farooq’s futuristic vision.

“As a producer, I have to create such a set up wherein the actors can come up with their best work every time. It’s not just about the money, it’s also about creating the optimal process. You need to find the right people and ensure the risk, inventiveness, courage, curiosity and collaboration that thrive in a fragile place. As a producer who is also an important friend, I need a cold eye and a warm heart because I want to help this idea become the best version of myself. “I also need to be good at raising money, and designing commercial structures that optimize artistic practice,” says Farooq, who was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2019.

Perhaps his favorite description of what he brought to the Akram Khan Company and the field of dance comes from Alistair Spalding, artistic director of the Sadlers’ Wells Theater in London: “There was a dancer and choreographer, and then there was a manager and producer, and He created the Akram Khan Dance Company – a dance company that became a platform for stories from another point of view. A company that put true collaboration at the center of its practice. A company that changed the rules of the game.”

strong cultural voice

Farouk, who was also the international creative producer for China’s dance icon, Yang Liping, and the English National Ballet, is known as a strong voice in Britain’s cultural scene. Be it the dwindling standards of dance training and arts policies or the quality of dance productions, he rarely shied away from airing his ideas. Does this mean that she is skeptical about the sweeping changes in highly experimental contemporary dance and feels that it is fraught with risks?

“I may have been critical in the past, and it’s absolutely necessary if you’re trying to defend the ideals and optimistic view of dance. I’m very excited by what’s happening in dance now. This other art The themes are much more porous than they are (blessed with the fact that it’s non-verbal), and you can witness all kinds of fascinating encounters and dialogues between different styles, traditions, cultures, and perspectives. Without these, we would have take the risk of stagnation, and in the slipperiness of stagnation lurks mediocrity. The dance is pluralistic and we are fighting and in some quarters winning the battle of many truths and the complexity that comes with it. That’s why I look hopeful for the future I feel it,” says Farooq.

With his expertise in Dance Management, he is well versed in the needs of the industry. Since 2000, when he and Akram Khan founded the company, they have shown the world how dynamic business practices and creative freedom can coexist. With every major collaboration and choreographic work, they are making this point home.

Yang Liping’s ‘Right of Spring’ | photo credit: special arrangement

“You must have nerves of steel and resilience, but you also need to be adaptable and fluid. Creative freedom and financial viability are a tango, and the skill is knowing at what point one moves on and follows one Again I come back to the word courage, and the knowledge that whatever path you take to artistic excellence is our north star. I also feel that we have benefited from having equal status in our partnership It is the ally, and we have such disparate skills that when combined become greater than the sum of their parts. Of course, courage cannot exist without faith, belief, and fear, seeing failure as a friend rather than an enemy. see as.”

Association with PECDA

As one of the Artistic Directors of the fifth edition of Prakriti Foundation’s PECDA (Excellence in Contemporary Dance Awards) in Bengaluru from April 18 to 23, Farooq is once again engaging with artists who are passionate about traditional-modern art. Thrive on harmony. in dance.

Over the years, he has seen Akram astonish audiences around the world by bravely combining his Kathak training into his contemporary works. Farooq is sure to find dance exciting new audiences across generations by mixing traditional ideas of high art and popular art.

“India is becoming a fertile ground for hybrid thinking. Many years ago it was more polarized, and now artists cross-fertilize in such interesting ways. In this you cannot ignore the personal. Each artist, irrespective of their training, has a vibrant feel and worldview that is unique to them,” explains Farooq.

Although some dance works in recent times, especially in India, have been the result of putting together movements to achieve an innovative edge and contemporaneity, they believe that contemporary dance should be practiced without any form or technique. To classify it would be short-sighted.

“It’s more a mindset than a skill set. A willingness to experiment and challenge or even provoke traditional thinking or forms. It’s not free for everyone. Great ideas need anchoring. I compare classical forms to novels, and contemporary dance to poetry. More compacted with symbols, metaphors and subconscious impulses. There are as many contemporary forms as there are classical forms.”

Although there has been a decisive digital shift in artistic practices over the past two years, Farooq is happy with the gradual return of art to real time and space. “There have been some great digital expressions as well as some terrifying ones. The digital space is one of the most competitive on the planet. But a deep sense of belonging and mystery are shared when an extraordinary act is witnessed by a community in a living space. We are not fragmented here,” he says.

Farooq has been a regular speaker at workshops and events across the world, with a keenness to share his diverse experiences and talk about his interesting role as a dance company producer with young enthusiasts.

“Dancing is no longer just about going on stage and performing. It’s a whole new world with so many opportunities and roles to play. They need to remain insatiably curious and embrace beautiful questions instead of searching for answers.” They should not start with meaning, but learn to find it,” says Farooq.