In this episode, Farah Yasmeen Shaikh shares her journey as a Kathak artist, the cultural significance of her work, and the importance of valuing art in society. Sara and Farah discuss the challenges artists face, the history of South Asian dance, and how art can be a tool for healing and connection.

Farah Yasmeen Shaikh is an internationally recognized Kathak dance artist, choreographer, educator, and Founder/Artistic Director of Noorani Dance.

Farah has been a practitioner of Kathak for over 30 years, initiating her training under the late Pandit Chitresh Das in 1996, and receiving almost two decades of training under his guidance, holding roles as a senior instructor in his institution and as a leading member in his performing company.

Known for her evocative storytelling, technical precision, delicacy and grace, Farah has developed a unique artistic voice, while also maintaining the classical elements of Kathak – producing work in the Bay Area, and touring extensively throughout the US and internationally, with ongoing performances and workshops throughout Pakistan.

Farah’s unique positionality as a Pakistani American Muslim Kathak Artist is evident in her personal, and yet globally relevant, approach and amplification of topics of historical and social relevance through her performances and choreography, with many of her original works receiving prestigious awards and grants – including being named as an Established Artist through the California Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship, and as a recipient of the Isadora Duncan Dance “Sustained Achievement Award” for The Forgotten Empress .

A fierce advocate for the arts, Farah is also a TEDx speaker, hosts her own podcast, Heartistry, and is an Arts Commissioner for San Mateo County.

IG: @farahyasmeenshaikh @nooranidance

FB: @farahyasmeenshaikh @nooranidance

Website: https://nooranidance.com/ and/or farahyasmeenshaikh.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt8Y2ltCqWDTxp7Y14j7oqg