Shivam Arts Dance Company

Shivam Arts Dance Company is a professional group of highly-skilled, classically trained Kathak dancers who are pushing the boundaries of traditional dance in a modern setting. The troupe’s bold interpretations frequently incorporate musical styles not typically used in Kathak, such as Irish rhythms, Spanish guitar, African drums, etc. The dance company has also artfully transformed several Bollywood classics into beautiful classical presentations. This approach helps the dance form to be further enriched, entertaining and appealing to today’s audience without losing the traditional aesthetics of the classical dance form. Shivam Arts Dance Company’s work often explores the intersection of movements possible between traditional Kathak and contemporary dance forms. The result is dance that is innovative and beautiful across all genres. Through such collaboration between movement and music, we can see the versatility of dance across cultures, peoples, and times.
The dancers have all gone through intensive training from renowned Kathak teacher Punam Kumar of Shivam Arts School of Kathak Dance for the last 10-35 years.
Shivam Arts Dance Company is available to hire for special events corporate or social, performances at educational institutions, performing arts festivals, workshops, school assemblies, performances for children, etc.
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Formerly known as Bhartiya Nritya Kendra, Shivam Arts opened its doors to four students in 1983 at the request of a few of Punam Kumar’s friends who wanted to connect their children to their Indian heritage. Soon after, in December 1986, the school presented its first stage production “Invitation to Kathak Dance”. What started out as a simple request from friends, has now transformed into a well known and respected cornerstone of classical dance in Southern California. As the school expanded its locations and number of students, it was mirrored in Kumar’s growth as a teacher, choreographer, and innovator. Her work maintains musical connections with the changing world and modern tastes of the audience. She has choreographed items to Irish, Latin, African and Bollywood music and has collaborated with Flamenco dancers, fusing traditional Kathak motifs with creative modern flair.