Akram Khan thanks Leicester's Curve theatre for Olivier win

The 80-minute production features a striking set design

A choreographer has thanked a Leicester art venue after winning an Olivier award for a production he devised during a residency there.

Akram Khan picked up the Best New Dance Production for DESH, which was developed at the city's Curve theatre and the MC2 venue in Grenoble, France.

The solo piece uses Khan's Bangladeshi upbringing as its theme and was premiered in Leicester in September.

It has since been performed in London, Hong Kong and Belgium.

Khan said the 80-minute production, whose name translates as "homeland" in English, was created to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan.

'Brilliant collaborators'

Visual artist Tim Yip, who worked on the film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, created the set and costumes while Olivier award-winning composer Jocelyn Pook worked on the music.

Khan said: "We have always produced thoughtful and ambitious dance productions for the international stage and we are honoured to have won the Olivier Award.

"The success of this production would not have been possible without the support of the Curve theatre and the brilliant collaborators and artists I have been involved with, including my producer Farooq Chaudhry.

"I am hugely grateful to them all."

The Curve theatre, which opened in December 2008, said it was "thrilled" the production had been honoured.