KALA • KRITI

“Nothing Happens unless first, we dream it” ~ Carl Sandburg

A long-standing dream of the cofounders, Urvashie and Henna, was to create a space where all dance and music from all backgrounds alike can come under one roof. And from there, along with the help of their loved ones, KalaKriti was born.

Henna and Urvashie have been dancing together since the young days of 2006 under the guidance of their Guru Ji, Pandit Satya Narayana Charka Ji within the East West School of Dance. Together, they have done many shows within the school, and productions, along with in affiliation with other organizations. Henna and Urvashie became the backbone of the East West School of Dance as they grew as dancers and teachers. Under the guidance of Guruji, both Henna and Urvashie began training new students and took charge of the Queens and Long Island centers. They worked with many organizations throughout the tri-state area and became avid performers from 2016-2020.

During this time, Henna and Urvashie began to appreciate and experience the different performing arts styles across the globe - from the different Indian Classical Dance styles to Flamenco, Cuban Styles, Armenian, Tap, Polynesian, and even West African, Henna and Urvashie dove deeper and deeper into the work of ART! This was when the first idea of KalaKriti was thrown out. We sat and thought - WOW, what would it be like if we could get all of this under one roof?! And we knew, that this would be the biggest, and best undertaking, we could take together.

In 2018, Urvashie and Henna completed their Rang Mansch Pravesh under the guidance of the East West School of Dance curriculum, based off of our Guruji’s teachings under The Late Shambhu Maharaj Ji, The Late Maya Rao Didi, and the Late Padma Vibhushan Birju Maharaj Ji. We are blessed to be carrying such a strong curriculum through the world of Kathak dance together.

And here we are today, trying to make this dream of ours, into a reality, one step at a time.

But best of all., we are in this together! And we cannot wait to share that journey with you!