The Art of Kathak with Farah Yasmeen Shaikh

Kathak Artist, Farah Yasmeen Shaikh, returns to T2F to share her traditional, yet innovative style of this classical dance form. Participants will be introduced to the fundamentals of the movement technique, storytelling and expression, and the music and rhythms of Kathak – culminating into a performance on Thursday, September 29. About: A rising name in the world of dance, known for her powerful and evocative storytelling, technical precision, delicacy, and grace, Farah Yasmeen Shaikh is breaking new ground, bringing a clairvoyant voice to the contemporary stage, whilst simultaneously maintaining the deep roots and traditional aspects of Kathak. Trained for two decades by Kathak icon, the late Pandit Chitresh Das, Farah was a lead dancer in the Chitresh Das Dance Company. She is now an internationally touring soloist, performing to sold out shows of her original choreographic works, most notably, The Twentieth Wife – telling the tale of Empress Noor Jahan, through a full-length performance of dance, live music, multimedia, and theater, based on the novel by author Indu Sundaresan. Currently touring in the U.S., The Twentieth Wife will tour internationally in 2017. In January 2016, Farah was introduced to the artistic landscape of Pakistan where she has begun to perform and teach on a regular basis, presented at various venues and institutions throughout the country. Farah is also developing her newest production based on the 1947 India-Pakistan Partition which is set to premiere in 2017 in the San Francisco Bay Area.