A community-oriented, inclusive space to learn, explore and re-imagine Kathak Dance
Kathak Dance School Berlin is a community-oriented and inclusive space that offers weekly classes and educational programs in the field of Kathak dance. In collaboration with Tak Theatre Berlin, the project brings together students of various levels, fostering mutual enrichment and support. The founder and teacher of Kathak Dance School Berlin, Ghazal, teaches traditional Jaipur-style Kathak techniques and choreography, incorporating various tools such as improvisation exercises to deepen understanding of the movements. Her classes aim to impart the rich dance vocabulary of Kathak while encouraging experimentation, reinterpretation, and critical engagement with the dance's concepts.
Kathak for Adults (Beginner and Intermediate)
Wednesdays
18:00 - 19:30 (Beginner) 18:30 - 20:00 (Intermediate)
Tak Theater, Kreuzberg-Berlin
Teacher: Ghazal
Languages: English and German
Trial class: 10 € Contract: 60 € per month, reduced: 50 €
This class delves into the principles and features of traditional Kathak, utilising a variety of improvisation exercises to foster a deeper understanding of the movements. The aim is to perceive these movements not merely as forms but as dynamic motions created within the body, radiating outward. The class starts with a gradual warm-up, preparing the body for the intricate movements of Kathak, and emphasises the unique physicality and movement concepts essential to mastering this dance form. Through guided exercises, students will explore the nuances of Kathak, focusing on effortlessness, and clarity within the sequences. Special attention is given to understanding how energy and motion are expressed: rhythmically in the feet, fluidly in the upper body, hands, and fingertips, and through expressive narration in the face and eyes, utilizing each facial muscle and eye movement. As the class progresses, we will introduce more technically challenging combinations, encouraging students to play with dynamics, rhythm, and expression. The improvisation tasks are designed to enhance creativity and personal interpretation, making each movement an authentic expression of the dancer.
This is designed as an open-level class, bringing together students of varying skill levels and offering them a collaborative atmosphere to inspire and learn from each other, fostering a sense of community.
This class is rooted in the expressive and poetic tradition of the Lucknow Gharana, focusing on grace, emotional depth, and sharpness of movement. Training emphasizes fluidity, musical sensitivity, and the precise integration of rhythm, gesture, gaze, and expression, allowing dancers to experience Kathak as a dynamic, living language rather than a fixed vocabulary.
Through guided explorations and structured practice, students develop clarity, control, and expressive depth - cultivating softness in transitions alongside crisp articulation and defined rhythmic precision. The class supports both technical refinement and personal interpretation, grounding dancers in the aesthetic and expressive principles of the Lucknow Gharana.
Kathak for Children aged 6 and up
Wednesdays / 16:45 - 17:30
Kreuzberg-Berlin
Languages: English and German
Trial class: 7€ Contract: 30€ per Month
This class welcomes children and young people eager to experience Kathak dance, express their creativity, and engage in musical movement together. It focuses on enhancing body awareness, movement flow, and coordination, allowing everyone to participate and discover new skills at their own pace. The class includes technical exercises and free movement tasks that can be interpreted in various ways. Ghazal will bring her extensive experience in inclusive dance to the class, accommodating individual needs as much as possible.
Kathak 50+
Teacher: Ghazal
Languages: English and German
Trial class: 10 € Contract: 60 € per month, reduced: 50 €
This class welcomes individuals aged 50 and above who are eager to experience Kathak dance, explore their creativity, and engage in graceful movement together. It offers a gentle and inclusive approach, allowing everyone to experience the beauty of Kathak dance according to their own capacity. Techniques are taught with careful consideration of different abilities and physical conditions, ensuring that movements are both safe and enjoyable. The class aims to invigorate both body and mind, providing a space to explore the possibilities of a changing body while enhancing body awareness, coordination, and movement flow.
This class is currently in the planning stages. If you are interested, please email us to express your interest. The class will commence once we reach a minimum number of participants.
Private Kathak classes are designed to accommodate students of all levels, offering the flexibility to learn at their own pace. Students will receive personalized attention and guidance, allowing them to explore Kathak dance in a way that fits their individual schedule and learning style.
***Kathak Dance School Berlin is in the process of development, and we’re excited to offer a range of Kathak courses. If you’re looking for specific classes or topics that you don't see listed here, please let us know. Your feedback will be invaluable in helping us shape this project. Feel free to reach out to us with any requests or suggestions!
Get in touch via
kathakdanceschoolberlin@gmail.com
Private Classes (Online and on-site)
Languages: English and German
45 € per hour
This advanced class is designed for Kathak practitioners with a minimum of five years of experience who want to go deeper into what they already know and further expand their skills and technique. Through different kinds of exercises, we will revisit and embody traditional Kathak techniques in multiple ways, allowing for a deeper understanding of the body in motion in relation to the aesthetics and choreography of Kathak.
Alongside technical training, the class places strong emphasis on improvisation, which is an essential part of Kathak practice. Through guided improvisation tasks, students will explore rhythm, dynamics, expression, and personal interpretation, developing a more embodied and responsive relationship to the form.
The class also encourages experimentation and critical engagement with Kathak practice and history, while staying grounded in the body and technique. Students are invited to question, play, and refine their practice, using what they already know as a starting point for deeper exploration and artistic growth.
Kathak for Adults (Advanced)
Wednesdays / 19:00 - 20:30 (Advanced)
Teacher: Ghazal
Neuköln-Berlin
Languages: English and German
Trial class: 10 € Contract: 60 € per month, reduced: 50 €
Kathak for Adults (Open Level)
Thursdays / 18:30-19:30
Theater Spiel Raum, Kreuzberg-Berlin
Teacher: Prajna
Languages: English and German
Trial class: 10 € Contract: 50 € per month, reduced: 40 €
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Founder, Artistic Director and Teacher (Jaipur Gharana)"As someone of Iranian origin, I was drawn to Kathak, as it deeply resonated with my cultural embodiments. With a background in classical music, theatrical experience, and former studies in philosophy, Kathak fascinated me as an interdisciplinary performance art that seamlessly merges rhythm, movement, narration, and mythology within a single body. Driven by a desire to base my artistic and choreographic practice on a dance deeply rooted in my cultural heritage, I immersed myself in the practice and concept of Kathak starting in 2013 and later pursued professional training.
My ongoing dance pedagogical research aims to make the unique movement language of Kathak accessible to dance enthusiasts and dancers of diverse backgrounds. I also focus on opening the movement vocabulary of Kathak for improvisation and re-interpretation. Additionally, I teach with an awareness of Kathak's colonial legacy. Currently, my artistic research focuses on dismantling the colonial and patriarchal body archives of Kathak and developing a practice and pedagogy that is inclusive, degendered, deracialized, decolonized, and community-oriented."
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Kathak Teacher (Lucknow Gharana)
"I embarked on this journey of learning and dancing Kathak at the age of two. I completed my Visharad from Bhatkhande University of Hindustani Music and Dance, by the time I was fifteen, which fueled my passion for this dance form and deepened my understanding of its complexities and intricate techniques. As my training in the traditional Lucknow Gharana style of Kathak continued, In 2004, I was awarded the CCRT Junior Scholarship, which supports young artists in their pursuit of excellence in the performing arts, and in 2011 I was bestowed the Young Artist Scholarship by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. With my formative years steeped in the training and discipline of this dance form, Kathak has become my second nature, an intrinsic part of my 'self.'
Currently I am delving deep into the aesthetics and beauty of this art form while also recognizing and dismantling outdated and limiting narratives that have historically surrounded Kathak. I find myself in this transformative experience of evolving as a dancer and an individual, blending the traditional with the contemporary in a dance dialogue that is uniquely my own. I am embracing this dual approach in my practice of Kathak - critical yet compassionate - challenging myself to find beauty in vulnerability, and strength in authenticity.
As a participant in The Kathak Dance School Berlin, I am currently exploring the Jaipur Gharana style of Kathak under the guidance of Ghazal. This experience has deepened my understanding of both Kathak and Dance, enriched by her expertise and extensive knowledge of movement art. I’m also excited to serve as a substitute teacher in this welcoming space and hope to introduce traditional Lucknow Gharana style classes in the future."