Farooq Chaudhry: Between the Light and the Shadow (Dancing Class)

About this episode

Farooq Chaudhry discusses his journey from Pakistan to a successful dance career in the UK, addressing themes of resilience and representation in the arts.

In this Dancing Class episode, Laura and Rachel host Farooq Chaudhry , who reflects on his journey from childhood in Pakistan to a career in UK dance, earning him an OBE. Farooq explains how he navigated poverty, racism, and the transformative power of education and art. He recalls being inspired by Namron and later supporting a young Akram Khan, taking bold risks to help launch his early works. He explains how his more recent projects confront barriers of representation and identity in the arts. The conversation explores resilience, vision, and creating space for all in dance. Content Guidance: Light reference to abuse, crime Date Recorded: 17th June 2025 Sound Recordist: Dr Laura Taylor Editing: Amelie Thomas Audio accompaniment: Dr Jess Blaise Ward Audio accompaniment mastering: Michael Ward

People in this episode

Hosts: Laura, Rachel

Guest: Farooq Chaudhry

Topics covered

• dance
• education
• identity
• resilience
• representation
• art

Keywords

• Farooq Chaudhry
• dance
• education
• identity
• resilience
• representation
• Akram Khan
• Namron

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Leeds Beckett University

Books & works: Dancing Class

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