Kathak Dance | Menlo Park, CA
Farah Yasmeen Shaikh is an internationally acclaimed Kathak performer, choreographer and instructor, and Founder & Artistic Director of Noorani Dance. As a performer, Farah is known for her evocative storytelling, technical precision, delicacy, and grace, with two decades of training from the late Pandit Chitresh Das. She has gone on to develop a unique artistic voice, often addressing topics of historical and social relevance, while also maintaining the classical elements of Kathak.
Farah performs her own traditional and innovative works, most notably, The Forgotten Empress – based on the life of 17th Century Mughal Empress Noor Jahan, and The Partition Project — based on the 1947 India-Pakistan Partition and Nazaakat aur Taaqat – Delicate Power. A TEDx speaker, and host of her own podcast, Heartistry Talk Show, Farah has received support and recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts, Walter & Elise Haas Fund, New England Foundation for the Arts, Zellerbach Family Foundation, Alliance for California Traditional Arts, California Arts Council, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, SVCreates and Dancers’ Group. See a full list of HYPERLINK “https://nooranidance.com/press-%26-awards” \t “_blank” Press & Awards.
In addition to training students of Noorani Dance, Farah’s teaching experience includes ODC School and Along King LINES Ballet in San Francisco, India Community Center in the Silicon Valley, and various academic and arts institutions throughout the U.S. in addition to being a guest choreographer for the World Dance Program at Alvin Ailey Extension in New York City. Farah was also a consulting choreographer for the theatrical adaptation of Monsoon Wedding, directed by Mira Nair, and the lead choreographer for I’ll Meet You There, a feature-length film directed by Pakistani American filmmaker, Iram Parveen Bilal.
Since 2015, Farah has been consistently performing and teaching throughout Pakistan – engaging in meaningful exchanges with artists, organizations, students, and art-loving and desiring Pakistanis. Engagements in Pakistan include the International Faiz Festival, Islamabad Arts Fest, Indus Valley School of the Arts, and T2F (The Second Floor).