Kathak artist Shila Mehta in Ghent and Brussels

Workshops Kathak | Workshop Folk | Kathak Performance 30/10

Kathak Artist Shila Mehta visits Belgium

Learn Kathak and Garba!

Come and join us and learn more about the beautiful dance styles of Kathak and Garba! Seize this unique opportunity to learn and train with Shila Mehta, an exquisite artist and teacher from India. We organise two short workshops open to beginners in Ghent: a Kathak beginners workshop on Sunday 27 October at 6:30 PM, and a Folk workshop on Saturday 2 November at 4 PM. On Sunday 3 November, we organise a workshop at the Indian Embassy in Brussels (details to be confirmed).

For dancers with a little more experience in Indian dance, there is the opportunity to follow courses on multiple days: 26/10, 27/10, 28/10, 1/11 and 2/11.

Saturday 26/10

5-7 pm: workshop Kathak (Ghent)

Sunday 27/10

4:30-6:30 pm: workshop Kathak (Ghent)

6:30-7:30 pm: workshop Kathak BEGINNER (1hr) (Ghent)

Monday 28/10

7:30-9:30 pm: workshop Kathak (Ghent)

Wednesday 30/10

2.30 PM: workshop for children in Ghent

8 PM: Performance by Shila Mehta in Ghent

Friday 1/11

2:00-5:30 pm: workshop Kathak (3h30 session) (Ghent)

Saturday 2/11

10-12 am: workshop Kathak (Ghent)

1:30-3:30 pm: workshop Kathak (Ghent)

4-6 pm: workshop FOLK

Sunday 3/11

Workshop Kathak at Embassy of India (Brussels) (free of charge) - timing to be confirmed

Shila Mehta teaching in Ghent (2023)

Kathak?

Kathak is a classical Indian dance style, known for the following elements:

  • Tatkar: intricate footwork performed with precision, creating various rhythmic sound patterns

  • Chakkar: swift and graceful spins executed with control and balance, often in rapid succession

  • Bhav: expression of emotion through facial expressions and body language, conveying the mood or story of the dance

  • Hastak: elegant hand movements that accompany and enhance the dance

  • Gat: stylized movements that portray a character or scene, often involving slow, graceful gestures and walking patterns to depict a narrative

  • Mudras: specific hand gestures symbolising objects, ideas or emotions, adding depth to the storytelling aspects of the dance

  • Tihai: a rhythmic phrase or pattern repeated three times that concludes on the first beat (sam), creating a sense of resolution in the composition

  • Abhinaya: the art of expression, combining facial expressions, gestures and movements to communicate the emotions and meaning of the story to the audience

  • Transcendence: by ENGAGING with these aspects of dance, we uncover spiritual dimensions and inner connections, pushing beyond our boundaries to attain a deeper level of awareness

  • Well-being: classical Indian Dance benefits psychological well-being

Meet Guru Shila Mehta

A special guest from India

Shila Mehta is a beloved guest in the Indian dance community in Belgium. She shares her expertise and love for Kathak and folk dances such as Garba in Belgium since 2007. 

Together with Maya Sapera, she started the Belgian branch of her Kathak institute Nupur Zankar, and they have raised Kathak dance to a higher level in Belgium - with regular classes in Ghent, as an ICCR recognised organisation at the Indian Embassy in Brussels, and with their contemporary Kathak performance ‘Women Speak, inspired by Mahasati’.

Shila has collaborated with numerous artists from other genres to both learn and develop her approach to Kathak and to allow Indian arts to further influence progression in other fields. A firm believer in life-long learning, she has not become complacent as an artist or guru and regularly undertakes continual professional development to stay abreast of developments in aesthetics and thinking in the performing arts e.g., undertaking courses at international universities in topics such as site-specific dance and dance therapy. Currently, she is deepening this drive for development by undertaking a PhD in the area of Transcendental Aspects of Classical Indian Dance, where she is seeking to summarise and extend her thinking on the wider benefits of performing arts. That is, what they offer individuals and society beyond the culturally informed engagement opportunity.

All in all, through her actions and achievements, alongside those of her own students, Shila has demonstrated the attributes of an artist who is skilled as a performer, innovator, thinker, educator, and socialist with a passion for helping enrich the lives of others, an academic with a vision to ensure that high-quality arts education thrives, alongside challenging mindsets through public speaking.

Our courses at MSDC (Nupur Zankar Belgium) follow the teachings of Kathak Guru Vidushi Shila Mehta, in the styles of Pt. Birju Maharaj & Pt. Vijay Shankar.

Shila Mehta at the Indian Embassy in Brussels (2022)

Practical

Place of workshops in Ghent:

Danshuis De Ingang, Hurstweg 8, 9000 Gent, 3rd Floor

Place of performance:

In the neighbourhood of Rozebroekenpark, Sint-Amandsberg (exact address will be shared upon registration)

Fee:
Kathak workshop FULLPACK (all except for Folk workshop): 135 euro OR 120 euro (for -26 of age)
Kathak workshop BEGINNER (Sunday 27 Oct):  12,5 euro
Kathak workshop SEPARATE TRACKS: 2h session = 25 euro;  3h30 session on Friday 1 Nov PM = 45 euro
FOLK workshop: 28 euro OR 23 euro (for -26 of age)
(Workshop 3 Nov at Embassy of India is free of charge but registration is mandatory)

Confirm your registration by paying your fee on the account of the Maya Sapera Dance Company 

BE68 7512 0526 1134 

Please indicate your full name + which options you are paying for:

Example: Maya Sapera Kathak full pack + folk + recital 

Teacher and performer: don’t miss the solo recital on 30 October…

And celebrate Deewali with us!

Shila Mehta is a wonderful teacher, loved by all of her students at MSDC and Nupur Zankar Belgium, and she is also an entertaining performer, able to mesmerize the audience with her impressive footwork and her powerful mastery of storytelling through dance.

On the evening of 30 October, the evening before Deewali, we will celebrate with a beautiful solo recital by Shila Mehta in an intimate setting. You are welcome at 7.30 PM, the performance starts at 8 PM. Because Shila Mehta is coming all the way from India to share her dance with us, we created three tariffs: a social tariff of 15 euros, a standard tariff of 20 euros, and a support tariff of 25 euros. With the latter, you can support us in covering the travel costs of our Guru (mentor) Shila Mehta.

Shila Mehta at the Indian Embassy in Brussels (2023)