Bangladeshi choreographer and dance educator S M Hasan Ishtiaque Imran has been selected as one of eight participants in the 2026 International Young Choreographers Project (IYCP), a prestigious regional initiative organised by the World Dance Alliance Asia-Pacific (WDA AP) Taiwan Chapter.
The programme, running from June 28 to July 19 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, brings together emerging choreographers from across the Asia-Pacific region to develop new works through artistic collaboration and cultural exchange. Participants will work with local dancers over three weeks before presenting their creations in two public performances.
Before joining the residency, Hasan is attending the International Dance Conference and Festival 2026 in Taipei, where he is presenting his choreographic work “Ontoheen” and conducting a masterclass on Kathak.
According to the organisers, the International Young Choreographers Project celebrates the diversity of contemporary dance across cultures while encouraging participants to explore how artists interpret everyday life through movement.
Hasan was selected following an international call for applications and a competitive review process that evaluated proposals submitted by choreographers from across the region.
A dancer, choreographer and educator with more than 25 years of experience, Hasan began his training in Bangladesh under M R Wasek and Saju Ahmad before pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Kathak at Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata as an Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) scholar. He later received advanced training under Guru Ashimbandhu Bhattacharya.
Over the years, he has expanded his artistic practice through workshops in Bangladesh and India and has worked with internationally acclaimed choreographers, including Akram Khan and Sashar Zarif.
His solo Kathak performances have been staged at festivals across India, while his choreographic works have been presented in the United States, Switzerland, South Korea, Türkiye and Japan. In 2005, he received the Championship Gold Medal at the National Child Artist Award Competition.
Hasan currently serves as a lecturer in the Department of Dance at Rabindra Srijankala University and as a part-time lecturer at University of Dhaka. He also teaches at Bangladesh Shishu Academy and Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts, while leading his own dance organisation, Katthakiya – The Centre of Arts.
