Kathak Dance Academy

This branch of the academy is located in Narayan Peth on the 16th Main, right in Venkateshwara Layout 3. It’s a local spot where we’ve been teaching dance for a good while. The room we use has those big mirrors that always seem to get smudges on them no matter how often we wipe them down. The floor is made of wood, which is important for the sound of the bells when the students are practicing their footwork. You can hear that rhythmic jingling from the street when a class is in session. We don't have a big reception area, just some chairs against the wall where parents wait or students sit to tie their ghungroos. It gets a bit crowded in the evenings when the bigger groups arrive. There’s a small cupboard in the corner where we keep some of the traditional instruments and old music players. The lighting is just regular overhead bulbs, nothing dramatic. It’s a humble space, really. We spend our time going over the same movements until they feel right. Sometimes we leave the door open to get a breeze, and you can see people walking by outside. It’s just a neighborhood place where people come to learn something traditional without any of the extra fluff you find in bigger city studios. We just focus on the dance and the rhythm and keeping the traditions going day by day.