DANCE SCHOOL
Dancing Petals imparts traditional Kathak education in regular classes conducted online and at Wheeling/ Buffalo Grove and Naperville/ Aurora to students of different age groups. Dancing Petals is a member of "The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing", one of the world’s leading dance examinations board. We are aligned with ISTD syllabus and follow a structured approach towards teaching students, training professionals and conducting examinations.
Classes are held year round with a break in summer (July/Aug) and winter (Dec/ Jan). Examinations are conducted by an ISTD certified examiner. Preparation for each grade level exam may take 1 or more calendar years (60-130 total qualification hours per level). Reference the published Kathak ISTD syllabus regarding hours of learning required to be ready to appear for the ISTD Grade Level Exams and the credits earned per ISTD Grade Level.
REFER: https://www.istd.org/examinations/theatre-dance-syllabus-outlines/
There is a Primary Examination for children up to the age of eight years. There are six Graded Examinations, intended to guide a student progressively towards perfection in presentation of Kathak Dance technique and repertoire. There are four Vocational Graded Examinations, which offer students a route to professional training either as a dancer or dance teacher. Both the Grades and Vocational Grades are approved by Ofqual and are on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF)
DANCE COMPANY
Dancing Petals has a production group that performs around Chicago. Our repertoire is comprised of traditional Kathak compositions and neo classical choreographies that use the vocabulary of Classical Indian dance to explore new spaces of expression.
Dancing Petals has organized many Kathak events and has participated in numerous programs organized by entities like SEWA, ASHA for education, Vedic Cultural Society, SeeChicagoDance, City of Chicago Summer Dance, LUMA8 and so on.
FOUNDER/ DIRECTOR
Gurmeet Kaur Marhas is the Founder and Artistic Director of this Kathak Dance Academy. She is a Kathak Dance aficionado. An enthusiast ardently learning, exploring, performing, dancing, teaching Kathak.
Gurmeet started learning Kathak with Ms. Sandhya Desai, student of Padma Bhushan Kumudini Lakhia and continued her pursuit under Ms. Kiran Chouhan, ganda-bandh student of Pt. Birju Maharaj. Twelve years later she completely immersed into the Kathak world and went to Kalashram, Delhi, school of the legendary maestro Pt. Birju Maharaj.
Her certifications include a ‘Level 4 Diploma in Kathak’ from ISTD, London, 'Sangeet Prabhakar in Kathak' from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad, 'Diploma in Kathak' from Kalashram, Delhi and ‘Skill Diploma in Choreography’ from NIKC, Bengaluru. She continues her Kathak journey under the guidance of Guru Sujata Banerjee and Guru Saswati Sen.