Drishti Dance will present 'Avartan'24', a showcase of Kathak works, for the first time at Norden Farm.
The Reading-based performing arts company, led by artistic director Anuradha Chaturvedi, is known for its dynamic dance offerings.
Avartan'24 will feature a collaboration between Drishti Dance's youth dance company, which has represented the South East region in the National U.Dance festival in 2018, 2019, and 2022, and young dancers from the Slough-based Dancing Nikita Company (DNC).
The evening will also see performances from Sutton-based Upahaar Dance Company, which will present Mohiniattam works for the first time at the event; emerging artist Pallavi Anand, who specialises in Bharatnatyam; and the London-based Richa Srivastava's London-based Arambh Kathak Pathshala.
The event will take place at the Courtyard Theatre, with tickets priced at £18, and concessions available at £16.
Drishti Dance was founded in 2008, with its first youth students in Reading in 2012.
Since then, the company has expanded, establishing additional dance centres in Oxford and Didcot.
Drishti Dance’s youth dance wing has gained recognition, representing the South East region in the National U.Dance festival for three years, 2018, 2019 and 2022.
It was one of the first youth dance groups from the classical Indian genre to represent the region at a national level.
Youth dance students from Drishti Dance have also represented the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing’s (ISTD) Classical Indian Dance Faculty in a Bursary Award competition and have been selected for Yuva Gati, the national South Asian Dance strand for the Centre for Advance Dance Training (CAT).
Drishti Dance is not the only company to have had a significant impact on the scene.
Dancing Nikita Company, founded by Nikita Thakraar in 2005, has also been pivotal in training individuals in Kathak dance and connecting them with their cultural identity.
The company opened a purpose-built dance studio in Slough in 2011, a notable milestone for Indian dance in the UK.
Although Ms Thakraar no longer performs or teaches dance as much, she uses mindfulness through movement, alongside yoga and coaching, to guide people of all ages to achieve their full potential.
She continues to promote Kathak dance, aspiring for it to be on par with ballet in the UK.
Ms Thakraar also runs her own free podcast, which aims to help her listeners shift their mindsets and develop self belief.
With 'Avartan'24', audiences can look forward to an evening of diverse and high-quality Indian dance performances, celebrating cultural roots and fostering a sense of community.
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