Episode Notes

https://www.instagram.com/naina_kathak/

https://www.nainakathak.com/

http://courtyarddancers.org/

Naina Roychowdhury Green started her exploration of Kathak in 1994 at eight years of age, as Dr. Pallabi Chakravorty’s first Kathak student while Dr. Chakravorty completed her PhD. Naina’s unique style of Kathak evokes a soft and subtle restraint combined with sharp lines and crisp footwork. Hailing from Philadelphia, PA, USA and now currently residing in Pittsburgh, PA, USA, she is a founding member and Head Faculty of the Pittsburgh branch of the Courtyard Dancers, founded in 2000, and has been a fixture in the Pittsburgh dance community since 2004. Naina has guest lectured at the University of Pittsburgh and collaborates with the local community both in performance and sparking important discourse. Naina has also been performed on international television and was featured in J.J. Tiziou’s photographic installation “How Philly Moves”. In Pittsburgh, Naina offers a rigorous Kathak curriculum for all levels in addition to leading a strong performance group she’s lucky to know.

Currently Naina is calling for contributors and is in the nascent phase of establishing an upcoming Kathak Festival Bells of Steel (a nod to the steel town of Pittsburgh) in the Western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia region. She is deep in the weeds of grant writing and establishing local connections. Naina was recently invited as a guest panelist to discuss “Immigration and the Arts” by Kelly Strayhorn Theater.

Show Highlights

0:02:00 Impact of Gender Fluidity on Teaching

0:06:32 Differences Between Gharanas

0:07:57 Naina Green's style

0:09:39 Aspects of Teaching

0:15:27 Workshops Naina di likes

0:18:30 Current Explorations of the Jaipur Gharana

0:20:15 Sticking To Kathak

0:29:03 Dancing with limitations on legs

0:31:17 Courtyard Dancers

0:36:14 The responsibility of an artist

0:42:01 Being fearless and performing for oneself

0:44:32 Relationship with the audience

0:55:52 The Rocketbook

0:57:27 Impact and Legacy

Episode Notes

Bio Richa Srivastava, Artistic Director, Arambh Kathak Pathshala, Mumbai & London, has done Masters in Kathak and currently taking her advanced training under Sushri Saswati Sen ji n Maharaj ji.. Richa started her Kathak training in her School under Smt Mukta Misra ji in Delhi and then under Smt. Shila Mehta ji in Mumbai... She has performed at some prestigious dance festivals in India, Baharain, Birmingham n London... to name a few- Kalaghoda Festival, Mumbai, Vasantotsav organised by Maharaj ji's Kalashram in Delhi, Rashtriya Kathak Sansthaan, Luckhnow, Kathak Sandhya at BHU, Varansi, kathak Solo at MAC Birmingham, Kathak Duet at Bahrain, and so on.. She is also awarded with some prestigious awards like National Nritya Shiromani, Nritya Mayuram and so on.

https://www.instagram.com/richadagg/ https://www.facebook.com/richa.dagg

Show Highlights

0:01:52 Gender Fluidity in Dance 0:05:51 Khula Naach 0:07:55 Khula Naach / Upaj 0:10:07 Realizations of Conditioning 0:10:57 Fighting Biases 0:13:10 Freedom in kathak 0:14:05 boundaries of kathak 0:16:02 Abhinaya 0:17:52 Acting in theater vs Abhinaya 0:22:33 Richa di's favorite story 0:25:50 Dialogues 0:31:46 Abinaya and age 0:35:13 Teaching hindi 0:40:50 Riyaaz 0:46:17 Richa di's Riyaaz Rituals 0:47:19 What is Richa di learning? 0:51:18 Blessings from Pt Birju Maharaj ji 0:55:21 Acoompanying Artisits 0:56:54 Social Media Tips 1:00:18 Sharing Kathak on Social Media 1:01:35 Critics/Trolls 1:04:09 Legacy

Episode Notes

Nima is a 22 year old from Houston, TX who has been learning Kathak under her Guru Smt. Shiva Mathur for the past eleven years. Nima is the founder and owner of Kathak Bells Handmade Creations.

Nima’s passion for Kathak inspired her to open this business. She started by restringing broken ghungroos of her classmates. This eventually gave her the idea to start a company. With the blessing of her guru, she established Kathak Bells Handmade Creations in July 2020 and now ships handcrafted ghungroos throughout the United States and Canada.

Kathak Bells is an eco-friendly company. All packaging used is biodegradable or compostable. No plastic or styrofoam is used.

Links Website: www.kathakbells.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathakbells Instagram (main): https://www.instagram.com/nima.mistry_/ Instagram (business): https://www.instagram.com/kathakbells_handmadecreations/

Episode Notes

Ariaki Dandawate, born and brought up in New Jersey, has been studying Kathak under the discipleship of Guru Pandita Archana Joglekar for over 15 years. Having been exposed to the nuances, beauty, and prestigious lineage of Kathak by her guru from a young age, Aria has spent the past several years seriously pursuing every aspect of the art form. In 2014, Aria received her Visharad (Bachelors) degree from the SAMVED Exam Board, and in August of 2016 she presented her Rang Manch Pradarshan (solo performance). Her Visharad degree in Kathak has allowed her to study the essence of the Natya Shastra – a pillar of the arts – as well as become proficient in complex practical and theoretical applications of both Taal and Bhav Anga. Aria has given solo performances at prestigious festivals such as Guru Wandana in Mumbai, Rabindra Natya Mandir in Mumbai, Geeva Heritage Festival in Kentucky, and Sangeet Mahotsav NY, to name a few. In the Tri-State area, Ariaki has performed at many events held by various cultural, artistic, and philanthropic organizations. In July of 2015, Ariaki was a Top 5 Finalist in Zee TV’s Dance India Dance North America competition held in Mumbai, India. Aria is a faculty member at Archana Arts, primarily training Diploma and Bachelors students at the academy and she has recently taken the responsibility of choreography and rehearsal assistantship at Archana Arts. Ariaki is a regular examiner under the SAMVED Exam board within NJ and Texas, Maryland, and Boston. Apart from her rigorous training in Kathak, Ariaki graduated in May with a bachelors degree in Biotechnology and Computer Science, and is currently working as an Associate Computational Biologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA.

Highlights 0:02:49 Training and Background 0:04:34 Masters in Kathak 0:06:25 SAMVED Board 0:08:53 Timeline for Bachelors and Masters 0:09:55 Sticking to Kathak 0:11:27 Approach to Kathak 0:18:03 Movements for each Taal 0:19:03 Formalizing thoughts 0:19:57 What needs to be done in kathak 0:21:43 Natya Dharmi vs Lok Dharmi 0:22:25 Stories Explored by Aria 0:23:53 Draupadi characteristics 0:25:51 Smt Archana Joglekar 0:29:27 Personal Connection with Archana ji 0:31:39 Aspects of Kathak Aria loves 0:33:56 Aria's teaching methodology 0:37:26 Being Strict 0:39:08 Dealing with students who don't practice 0:40:17 Performance Career 0:44:58 Coming back to kathak 0:46:20 Finding ways to dance 0:48:38 Difference between performing on TV vs On stage

Episode Notes

Seetal Kaur combines her love for rhythm and music with swift movement and emotive expression as a Kathak dancer. Having trained in Bharatnatyam and vocal music from a young age, she started learning Kathak with Amina Khayyam in 2012 and toured nationally and internationally with the company's production of 'Yerma' from 2013-2015. For the past 6 years, Seetal has been focusing on developing her Kathak practice under Smt. Aditi Sen and has also been seeking guidance from Guru Pandit Rajendra Gangani for intensive periods in India, Switzerland and the UK. She has been involved in many creative and collaborative projects including 'Hanuman Tales' (Curve Theatre 2018-19), 'The Hen-nah Party' (Rich Mix London 2019), 'SHAKTI’ (South Asian Arts-UK, 2020) and was selected for the New York Kathak Festival 2020.

Highlights 0:03:35 The next steps 0:05:28 Musicians and Dancers Collaborations in the UK 0:07:18 The benefits of practicing with musicians 0:09:02 Training and background 0:13:24 Intenstive Workshops 0:16:27 South Asian Women in dance 0:19:43 Reactions and Reception to History 0:24:15 Radha Krishna Ched Char 0:30:50 Approach to perfomances 0:33:34 How to make a character and come alive 0:36:05 Enhancing practice through life experiences 0:38:59 Memorable performances and anectodes 0:42:19 Aspects of Kathak Seetal Finds Interesting 0:46:55 Teaching 0:50:01 Pt Chitresh Das 0:52:51 Style of Teaching 0:57:41 Encouraging the value of practicing

Episode Notes

My conversation with Sunena has some deep insights into how she intertwines her love of kathak with mental health awareness. You can find her at Website: https://sunenagupta.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunenagupta/

YouTube: http://youtube.com/sunenagupta

Bio Sunena Gupta is a senior disciple of Guru Mulla Afsar Khan at the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society. She has been training in kathak for over 15 years now. She received her diploma In 2016 and notably was the first student in Singapore to complete a Kathak Manch Pravesh (Arangetram).

Sunena is most well-known as the director of the ‘Umeed: Colors of Hope’ dance theatre production and ongoing mental health awareness campaign, which was launched in 2018 and has since delivered over 25 performances, workshops, and seminars across the globe.

Sunena now runs her own dance company, ‘SuRachna Dance Company‘ where she teaches beginner and intermediate children and adult classes.

Apart from being a dancer, Sunena works as a full-time Public Policy Analyst and is a mental health advocate. She is passionate about combining these aspects of her life with her dance career by encouraging other artists to use their platforms to convey social messages through traditional art, and continue to spread art as a form of mental wellbeing.

Show Highlights 0:03:23 Structure of performance 0:04:41 Pushback for advocacy 0:09:38 Impact of people's lives 0:12:44 Drawing Boundaries between advocacy and therapist 0:16:00 Getting Constructive Feed 0:19:10 Kathak Training in Singapore 0:22:33 Visharad 0:27:06 Long term plans 0:29:38 What Sunena wants to add to Teaching 0:30:57 Kathak style 0:32:25 Riyaaz and self care 0:35:57 Choreographer 0:37:35 Anectodes from performances 0:40:01 Partnering with Charities 0:44:06 Compensation 0:49:09 Message For Kathakars

Episode Notes

Thoughts on the episode

My Conversation with Jin Won interweaves between Kathak and Tabla, especially how the two art forms complement each other. I love this episode because it was the first time I was asking questions about Tabla, which is challenging because I have never played or taken lessons in it.

Bio

Jin Won - Kathak Dancer Praised by the NY Times as "an exuberant dancer whose musicality transform[s] her dancing into something primal," dancer and percussionist Jin Won is a one-of-a-kind artist in the field of Indian performing arts who explores the sonic and visual possibilities of rhythm through dance and music. An accomplished Kathak dancer and tabla player of South Korean origin, she spent over 15 years in India training in Indian classical percussion and dance under Pandit Divyang Vakil and Shrimati Shubha Desai, respectively. As artistic director of Pradhanica Dance and (viusic Company, Jin has created, choreographed, and starred in various ensembles that have performed in esteemed venues across North America, as well as taught master classes and workshops in many arts institutes.

Highlights

0:01:51 The interplay of kathak and tabla 0:04:31 Balancing Riyaaz for both 0:06:31 Combining Tabla and kathak practice 0:12:42 Taal Vidya 0:16:15 abhinaya work 0:19:05 Steep Learning Curve of the tabla 0:21:07 Taal and Naad in Tabla 0:22:03 Ta Meditation 0:24:08 What makes tabla unique 0:25:55 Evolution in Tabla 0:27:32 Speed Isn't everything 0:28:20 Appreciating the subtleties in sound 0:37:15 Pradhanica Name origins 0:41:30 Boundaries when determining performances 0:48:42 Differences in dynamics in Kathak/Tabla classes 0:55:10 Students who take kathak and tabla lessons together 1:00:34 Style of dance and tabla 1:02:29 Legacy and Impact

Episode Notes

My conversation with Shreyasee Nag is a fascincating look into the work it takes to establish Kathak in Spain, a country where knowing Spanish and assimilating with the culture is a must for mainstream acceptance. We learn the kind of effort it takes for Kathak artists to establish themselves in spaces where Flamenco/Ballet are considered the de facto dance forms.

Bio

Shreyasee Nag is a dance artist, director, founder of Nupura international Center of Dance and Music; Director, founder of Shreyasee Nag Dance Company, black book award winner by West Bengal government, part of Soul Pico companies, We women production and has traveled all over all across the world sharing her story.

Show Notes

0:03:04 Transition to Kathak 0:05:15 Difficulties of Kathak in Spain 0:08:09 Getting into a mainstream spaces 0:11:51 Flamenco and Kathak 0:16:25 Collaboration vs fusion 0:19:11 Holding your own ground 0:21:34 Reciting in Kathak 0:21:53 Dancer vs Practioner 0:23:41 Talks on Kathak 0:28:47 Kathak in Pakistan 0:32:43 Dealing with Pushback 0:38:44 Kathak in Europe 0:43:29 Monopoly 0:46:17 Being the Torchbearer of Kathak in spain 0:48:26 Teaching Practice 0:51:47 Teaching Phonetics 0:53:31 Teaching pronunciation 0:57:24 Uncertainty in Covid Time 0:58:41 Preparing Professional Dancers 1:02:05 Measure of Success

Episode Notes

Thoughts on the Episode My conversation with Devesh ji was one I was super excited for and you can probably sense my nervousness in my tone! That being said, it is a great episode about being a male kathak dancer, balancing bollywood with kathak, Devesh ji's first solo performance and a whole host of other topics.

Bio Devesh Mirchandani is a Mumbai based choreographer and dance teacher. He has been training in Kathak for 13 years under the guidance of great gurus like Smt Shama Bhate ji, Padmashri Guru Pratap Pawar, and has taken workshops with Vidhushi Saswati Sen ji, and Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj ji.

He is a member of the Indian Film and Television Association Bollywood and part of the choreography team “Dance with Madhuri”.

His dance training includes Indian Folk Dances, Kathak and Contemporary – Bollywood dance.

As a teacher, he has been offering dance lessons in India for sixteen years whereas for the last three he has expanded his activities internationally – having travelled to countries like Russia, Spain, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Paris, Dubai for workshops and shows.

He has participated on dance reality shows (“Just Dance”, “Jhalak Dikla Ja”, “Dance India Dance”) and is highly appreciated by the Bollywood stars Sharukh Khan and Deepika Padukone.

It's a privilege for me to present to you my conversation with Noori Bak, a kathakar based out of South Korea. where she runs the Raas indian Dance Company. Her take on O Re Piya has gathered 2.8 million views on youtube. My conversation with her is her first podcast in the english language making it all the more special for me.

Links to social https://youtube.com/c/NooriBak https://www.instagram.com/noori.bak

Show Highlights 0:03:33 Kathak/Dance to cope with depression 0:04:54 Training with First Guru 0:06:59 The central asian influence on Kathak 0:09:20 Staying with Nahid ji 0:12:33 Classes with Nahid ji 0:14:24 Starting from scratch 0:16:24 Rajasthani Dance 0:28:57 Sema, Whirling Dance 0:31:46 Beginning stages of Whirl 0:35:04 Kathak in Korea 0:37:22 Focus on the internal 0:40:11 Raas Academy 0:41:13 Noori Ji's teaching style 0:43:39 Performances 0:45:37 Princess Heo Hwang-ok 0:46:06 Story of the Indian princess to went to Korea 0:47:32 What aspects of Noori ji's dance are people drawn to? 0:48:35 O Re Piya video background 0:50:05 What Noori ji was going through when shooting the video 0:52:04 Future projects

Episode Notes

Notes from Pramit My conversation with Dr Sarah Morelli is a fascinating look into how she became a Kathaka, Academic, and a student of Hindustani Music. Her book, "A Guru's Journey" detailing the life of Pt Chitresh Das is my favorite book on Kathak and I feel honored to be able to present this episode to all of you!

PS: Please note that the name of the book in the introduction is "A Guru's journey" and not "Tales of A modern Guru"

Bio

Sarah Morelli was blessed to train with two of the greatest artists of recent generations: renowned kathak master Pandit Chitresh Das and maestro Ali Akbar Khan, from whom she studied vocal music and the sarod, as well as their disciples Dr. George Ruckert, Gretchen Hayden, Steve Oda, and Pt. Rajeev Taranath. Her book, A Guru’s Journey: Pandit Chitresh Das and Indian Classical Dance in Diaspora (University of Illinois Press, 2019), is an ethnographic examination of Pandit Das’s artistic contributions and the development of kathak’s “California gharana.” Active as a kathak performer, scholar, and educator, Sarah is an Associate Professor at the University of Denver Lamont School of Music and a founding member of the Leela Dance Collective. Her kathak performances have included full solos and leading roles in productions in U.S. and India at venues such as Mumbai’s Royal Opera House, LA’s Ford Amphitheatre, and Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center. Sarah is founder and artistic director of Sureela, a kathak academy in Denver, CO that has recently joined sister schools in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York in creating the national institution the Leela Institute of Kathak.

Show Highlights: 0:02:26 How did Sarah Morelli Get into Kathak 0:14:52 Keeping up with Everything 0:18:14 Teaching Kathak to different ethnicities 0:21:49 Why did people stick to learning with Pt Chitresh Das ji 0:23:55 Personal Connection with Pt ji 0:25:17 Meaning of Intense Workshop 0:51:42 Dynamics of Leela Collective 1:02:25 Memorable Experiences in performing 1:10:20 What is Sarah ji's Style of Kathak 1:13:50 Work in Denver 1:17:34 Differences between now and then 1:25:17 Portrayal of Pt Chitresh Das ji 1:25:33 Make this book controversial

Episode Notes

Thoughts on this Episode:

My conversation with Bina Jawwad is a fascinating insight into the history of Kathak in Pakistan from the perspective of a Kathakar who has the unique perspective of being involved in the art form before, during and after the 1977 military regime in Pakistan that had banned all dance forms.

Show Highlights:

0:01:42 Pakistan Pre 77 0:02:20 Auditioning for Maharaj Ghulam Hussain Kathak's class 0:03:51 No Inhibition or taboo 0:04:41 Open and Casual atmosphere 0:05:08 Equal Number of boys and girls 0:06:50 Initial days of the ban 0:08:21 Courage 0:15:36 Maharaj Ghulam Hussain Kathak 0:26:30 Ustad Behens and camraderie 0:42:22 Teaching to Little Kids : Anectode 0:58:00 Harsukh School 1:06:17 Legacy of Bina Jawwad

Bio:

Bina jawwad trained with Maharaj Ghulam Hussein Kathak after completing her BFA graphic design (1974) from department of fine Arts panjab university, became his assistant teacher , joined a private school to teach dance to students in the era of ban on all cultural activities during Martial Law (1977 to 1988) by dictator Zia Ul Haq. After the martial law was over, she choreographed many stage shows to re introduce the local culture and heritage to the people. Started learning classical vocal and met her teacher mirza Nasser Uddin, qawwal baccha guarana, 1995, started her training with him ( previously she was training with other vocal teachers ) , till the year he passed away ( 2014). Nowadays she teaches Kathak in schools and at home. Likes to remain out of public scene , unless it is to do with the promotion of the ethnic cultural traditions . She and her 3 daughters have a singing group called Harsakhiyan. Who sing for public events as well . They sing the local mystic poetry of saints . Runs a school for children of the neighborhood, who do not have educational facilities, which is based on cultural traditions called Harsukh.

Links to Social Media https://www.facebook.com/HarsukhSchool/ https://www.facebook.com/harsakhiyan https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkCSg4qYYt_X2FByc55xpsw

Episode Notes

Abha Bansal is a dancer, choregropaher and educationist.She has been trained under guru Hlralal Haasal ji and Guru Kundanlal Gangani ji. She's been teaching dance at Nupur for 40 years Through her choreogrpahic works, she has addressed pertinent issues like female foeticide, adult education, women empowerment and save the girl child.

Timestamps 0:01:17 Journey 0:04:54 Teaching in Schools 0:06:12 Building Patrons of the art 0:08:29 Cultivating awareness to non practioners 0:09:52 Getting students started 0:12:55 Differnces between teaching in Nupur vs at a school 0:31:43 Things Abha Ji added to her teaching 0:38:41 Online Teaching Opportunities 0:40:45 Workshops done by Abha ji 0:45:48 How many years of training needed for an abhinaya workshop 0:47:15 Krishna Radha Ched Char 0:54:05 The art of storytelling 1:03:45 Abhinaya in the Present day and age 1:07:27 Reception to Abhinaya and Gat Bhav workshops 1:15:52 Concluding Remarks

Episode Notes

Bio Mitali Sonar, a forever student of Kathak, received her M.A. in performing arts administration from NYU Steinhardt in 2020. Currently, she is the Marketing person for Navatman Inc., and also a Kathak teacher. Mitali received formal Kathak training under Rajendra Chaturvedi of the Gopi Krishna lineage of Kathak (Benaras Gharana) and completed her Visharad in 2016. She performed at various stages like Kala Ghoda, NCPA and Sur Shringar in her homecity, Mumbai, and most recently played the role of Kunti in the Navatman's dance theater version of the Mahabharata in New York City. She has been dedicated to the art form since the past 22 years and has been an active member of various New-York based events like  the New York Kathak Festival, Drive East & Kathak Meet-ups. She has previously worked with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater & NYU Skirball. She is passionate about bringing communities together through the medium of arts (and about coffee, photography and dogs!)

Links to social Instagram - @itsitsymitsy

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitalisonar/

Email - [email protected]

YouTube - https://youtu.be/bIIQZlLkPmo

Timestamps 0:02:51 Dream Job 0:05:39 Performing Arts Degree 0:09:32 Working at Navatman 0:13:49 Marketing for Navatman 0:16:41 Instagram vs Fb 0:19:28 What does the youth like about Kathak? 0:25:06 How to go about Marketing 0:28:58 Budgets for Marketing and Ads 0:30:29 Kathak @Navatman 0:32:19 Uniformity in Teaching 0:36:34 Teaching Online 0:38:29 Teaching and Training in India 0:41:10 Benaras Gharana 0:41:55 Gopi Krishna Gharana 0:47:08 Navatman Podcast 0:53:02 NYKF Experience 0:56:51 Dreams for Navatman 0:59:04 Future events and Plans 1:01:08 Ending Comments

Episode Notes

Links to website/social media :- https://www.facebook.com/tanveeralamdance/about/ https://www.tanveerdance.com/ https://www.instagram.com/tanveer_dance/ [email protected]

Bio Tanveer Alam started his dance training in kathak, an Indian classical dance form, under Sudeshna Maulik. He continues to develop his craft under guru Sandhya Desai. Alam also trains in Taal Vidya — the knowledge of Hindustani classical music, with guru Pandit Divyang Vakil. He has also attended various workshops, and explored the different facets of kathak with masters such as Kumudini Lakhia, Pandit Birju Maharaj, and Nahid Siddiqui. Alam is also a 2019 graduate of The School of Toronto Dance Theatre’s Professional Training Program, Alam has performed in the works of Susie Burpee, Jennifer Dallas, Jasmyn Fyffe, Danny Grossman, Christopher House, Allen Kaeja, Ryan Lee, Sharon B. Moore, Julia Sasso, Ofilio Sinbadinho, and Darryl Tracy. Alam has performed across North America as well as India, and has had the opportunity to dance in the works of various choreographers including Janak Khendry, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Rina Singha, Brandy Leary, Noémie Lafrance, and Sanjukta Sinha. An emerging choreographer, he has presented his own works at the Dance Ontario DanceWeekend 2019, New Blue Emerging Dance Festival, London Dance Festival, and MAI – Montréal, arts interculturels, to name a few. In 2019, Alam premiered _Éclosion, _a new solo, as a part of Tangente’s contemporary dance season in Montreal as well as _The Nine Brains of the Human Mind _at SummerWorks Festival 2019. Alam is a recipient of the Lindy Green and Sam Chaiton Bursary, as well as the Winchester Prize Award. He has been supported by The Canada Council for the Arts, The Ontario Arts Council, as well as the Toronto Arts Council.

Timestamps 0:01:00 Being a diasporic artist 0:01:32 Example of different access to Knowledge 0:02:57 The importance of going back to India 0:03:37 Mentorship with Sanjukta Sinha 0:04:16 Experiences with SSDC 0:04:59 Performances with SSDC 0:05:44 Mariginalization of Kathak 0:06:32 Being the "Only One" 0:07:37 Legacy of Kathak in Canada 0:09:22 Talking about Kathak 0:11:30 Acknowledging the differences 0:13:48 Degree in contemporary dance 0:15:35 Practicing two dance forms 0:16:34 Doing Kathak during the degree 0:18:44 Factors to accept performance opportunities 0:19:48 Showcasing the community in truthful ways 0:21:42 Choreographic Investigation 0:23:00 How Tanveer Got Into Kathak 0:24:48 Sudeshna Maulik 0:25:19 Sandhya Desai 0:26:20 Internalized Practice 0:28:49 FOMO 0:30:27 Smt Kumidini Lakhia 0:31:08 Kumiben 0:32:30 Performing in front of Birju Maharaj 0:36:21 Ustad Nahid Siddiqui 0:37:16 Taal Vidya with Pandit Divyang Vakil 0:38:25 Behind the Scenes 0:40:06 When should you start Taal Vidya 0:40:49 Choreographies 0:42:23 Collaborating with other Dancers 0:42:59 Style of Kathak 0:43:47 Teaching practice 0:45:13 Future Projects 0:46:35 Concluding Remarks

Swarashri Shridhar is the prime disciple of Guru Pali Chandra and has been learning Kathak for the last 10 years under Gurukul Studios. As the youngest distinction holder of the ISTD Vocational Advanced course from the UK, she has performed in London, Switzerland, Belgium, India, and UAE and believes in bringing about a change in society through dance. Her first project in doing so was raising awareness for Dance Movement Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease through a self-choreographed piece titled ‘Rise Again’. Taking this forward, she participated in a play called ‘Still Dancing’ which was based on Dance Movement Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease. Swarashri has made it a point to talk about Parkinson’s Disease and perform her piece on various platforms, thus raising awareness about this topic through dance.

Her most recent initiative - #spinpositivity was aimed at generating positivity and enthusiasm during these challenging times impacted by COVID-19. The initiative attracted dancers from the US to Australia echoing her #spinpositivity and posting short dances on Instagram Stories, thus creating a small movement. She donated the proceeds of her maiden online live performance titled ‘Rise Again’ through Playtoome, India’s first live online platform to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund in aid of COVID-19 relief efforts.

Links to social media https://www.instagram.com/swarashri_kathak/

Timestamps

0:01:03 Normalization of Dance as a Career 0:05:31 Alternative courses for dancers 0:07:35 Online Degrees/Courses 0:09:24 ISTD Vocational Course 0:11:48 Unique aspects and future changes in Training 0:16:05 Pali Ji's Parampara Workshop 0:18:06 Making a living as an average dancer 0:21:21 Other Careers in Kathak 0:26:45 Mindset of a Kathakar 0:29:50 FOMO 0:32:42 Gurubehens 0:35:29 Induviduality in Gurukul Training 0:38:30 Raising Dance in Social and Medical Issues 0:40:34 Dance Movement Therapy 0:45:29 Carnatic Music in Kathak 0:50:01 Use of Carnatic Music in Kathak 0:51:51 Explorations in Carnatic Music 0:53:15 Spinpositivity 0:57:50 How does it feel to be known? 1:00:44 Feedback 1:03:49 Feedback that dancers should be wary of 1:06:28 Current and Future Projects

Episode Notes

Bio Maithili Patel is an emerging Kathak dancer and choreographer who believes in storytelling with a purpose. She has been trained in Kathak for 17 years, has been under the tutelage of Guru Pali Chandra and the mentorship of Somna Tugnait for the past 10 years, and is learning Taal Vidya under Pandit Divyang Vakil. Maithili is currently pursuing a bachelor degree in biology and holds a Distinction in the ISTD Diploma in Vocational Kathak. She has performed at numerous events all over the world and attempts to spread social awareness using her art as a medium. Links to social media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maithili_kathak/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaithiliPatelKathak Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn9peOQmt_XG8p7CLS5kJ9Q

Show Notes 0:01:50 Quality of Movement 0:07:15 Encourage to Ask, "Why?" 0:09:22 Giving Kids Agency 0:13:37 Guru Behen and Significance 0:15:49 Vocational Course Gurukul 0:17:50 Competition 0:22:23 NYKF Draupadi Piece 0:23:47 What's no longer relevant 0:26:37 Guru Shishya 0:31:02 Moving out of Gurukul 0:36:29 Perform in from an Kathak 0:38:28 Keeping in touch with Pali ji 0:43:45 Changes in online lessons for Gurukul 0:46:19 Taal Vidya 0:49:53 Taal Vidya In Kathak 0:52:34 Kathak and Biology 0:56:29 The advantages of physical prowess 0:58:17 Dancers who have pushed the physical limits of Kathak 0:59:46 Injury Prevention and Management 1:01:32 What to do when injured 1:04:17 Performances

Episode Notes

Bio Nighat ji has been a Kathakar for four decades training under my under great masters. Her main gurus include Ustad Nahid Siddiqui, Maharaj Ghulam Hussain Kathak, Pandit Durga Lal, and Guru Pali Chandra. She's also done intensive workshops with Uma Dogra ji, Srimati Saswati Sen, Srimati Kumudini Lakshia, and Pandit Buju Maharaj. Nighat Chaofhry is one of the primary exponents of Kathak in Pakistan and has made it her mission in life to grow the art there. Links to Social Media

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nighat_Chaudhry_(classical_dancer) https://www.facebook.com/nighatchaodhryofficial https://www.linkedin.com/in/nighat-chaodhry-2abb0021/?originalSubdomain=pk https://www.instagram.com/nighatchaodhryofficial/

Timestamps

0:00:56 History of Kathak in Pakistan 0:01:17 Perception of Kathak in Pakistan 0:02:48 Ban of Dance by the British 0:05:12 Early Pioneers 0:07:11 Impacts of cinema on Kathak 0:10:20 Effect of Youtube 0:10:37 Effect of dance ban: Early days in Pakistan 0:11:47 No Objection Certificate 0:13:08 Starting Kathak in Pakistan 0:14:17 Realisation that Dance was banned in Pakistan 0:16:24 Revolution and Poetry 0:16:57 Threats and Phone Calls 0:18:09 Socially Charged performances: Kursi and Purdah 0:20:36 End of Martial Law, Benazir Bhutto 0:22:36 initial reception 0:25:32 Okay, burn it! 0:26:06 House Attacked 0:30:12 confronting 0:33:12 Being confronted in Dubai 0:34:46 Studying about central asian and persian influence on Kathak 0:35:58 Influences on Kathak from other cultures 0:37:19 Kathak as the National Dance of Pakistan 0:37:49 What's unique about kathak in Pakistan 0:40:13 Dhamaal 0:42:32 The importance of vibration and Energy 0:46:08 Spreading a message 0:48:15 Audience Reception 0:55:30 CCOP: Cultural Custodians of Pakistan 0:55:48 Nighat Chaudhry Foundation 0:57:13 Teaching Practice 1:00:51 What to look for in a guru 1:07:54 Maharaj Ghulam Hussain Kathak 1:10:47 Thehrav 1:19:19 Future of Kathak in Pakistan 1:20:54 The importance of having a syllabus 1:24:48 Lahore Gharana 1:25:41 Acceptance of the Lahore Gharana

Eshani Sathe is a kathak performer, trained under Pt. Rajendra Gangani and Guru. Smt Radhika Sathe for 15+ years . She holds the position of Head of Administration & Curation at Kathak Nritya Mandir, an Institution working for the education and promotion for Kathak, last five years. Eshani is a recipient of numerous national awards including the Ministry of Culture Award of Scholarship to Young Artists ( 2013) , Mewad Mani Award ( Govt. Of Rajasthan ) amongst many others. Eshani’s expertise in promotion of her art form over digital media, with companies like Indian Raga , along with her own virtual productions, has garnered millions of views, across numerous social media platforms today . Her strength lies in rigorous traditional training in the Guru Shishya Parampara of Kathak, matched with her academical education in science, that has led to her popularity on-stage, as well as the virtual media .

Links to Social Media https://www.instagram.com/eshanisathe.kathak/ https://www.youtube.com/user/raven55able https://www.facebook.com/eshanisathekathak

Show Notes 0:01:03 Teaching the younger generation 0:03:09 What does the younger generation like about Kathak 0:05:15 Absorbing Kathak growing up 0:05:25 Early days and Training 0:07:55 Favorite books 0:11:40 Evolution of the guru shishya parampara 0:13:56 Pt Rajendra Gangani 0:15:36 Guru shishya Parampara now 0:16:58 Eshani's Teaching Practice 0:19:22 Eshani's Brand of kathak 0:21:27 KNM: Kathak Nritya Mandir 0:23:00 Jaipur Gharana 0:25:04 Miconceptions 0:27:06 Female kathak dancers in Jaipur 0:28:25 Bulding a following on social media 0:31:59 Eshani's fav piece that didn't get enough views 0:34:29 Expectation Management on Social Media 0:37:35 Collaborations and Fusion work 0:41:17 The importance of Live music 0:43:38 How Eshani and KNM recognizes the guests 0:44:49 Use of Shakti without attribution 0:45:53 Taking care of someone on stage 0:49:46 Evaluating Collaborations 0:52:01 Preferences for Performances 0:54:28 Not being Camera Conscious 0:56:59 Preferred Abhinaya Pieces 0:58:38 What people are talking about in Kathak 1:01:08 Riyaaz Rituals 1:03:28 Encouraging students to Practice 1:06:09 Eshani asks me a few questions! 1:09:54 Future Projects