Instructor
Photo by Prateek Sarkar
Farah Yasmeen Shaikh has over 25 years of experience teaching Kathak to aspiring dancers of all ages, levels and backgrounds. She offers workshops, masterclasses, and lecture demonstrations through her non-profit organization, Noorani Dance.
She is frequently invited by various organizations and institutions to offer courses in Kathak.
Arts Education & Workshops
An established and sought after teaching artist, Farah customizes educational curriculum for lecture demonstrations, workshops, short and long term residency programs. She tailors content relevant to age, environment, and a particular organization or institution's vision.
Select Teaching Highlights
USA:
UC Santa Cruz, Lecturer
ODC School
Alonzo King LINES Ballet
Oakland School of the Arts
St. Mary’s College
San Francisco State University
Wellesley College
India Community Center
Nueva School
San Mateo Parks & Recreations Department
Pakistan:
Indus Valley School of the Arts
Habib University
The Second Floor (T2F)
Pakistan Chowk Community Center
National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA)
Passing on Tradition
Farah began teaching in 1998. An assistant to her Guru, Chitresh Das, for accredited courses at San Francisco State University and Stanford University, Farah was also a senior instructor at his institution, Chhandam School of Kathak.
In 2016, she founded Noorani Dance, a nonprofit 501c3 organization based in Menlo Park, CA.
The Noorani Dance School offers Kathak training for children, teens and adults, ages 5 and up, for beginners, and for those with previous dance experience. Students will receive training in the foundational aspects of the movement technique along with learning the theoretical aspects of the music, history and philosophy of the Kathak tradition.
Farah is the lead instructor at Noorani Dance School and classes are taught by qualified dance teachers, giving importance to the dance technique, history, theory and music of Kathak.