Well known Kathak dancer and teacher Dr Kshama Munshi will conduct special summer workshops in the classical Indian dance form of Kathak and various Indian folk dances.
The classes will be held daily at different locations in the UAE, until August 31.
The venue in Sharjah is the Mona Lisa building, where classes will be held from 4.30 to 6.30pm on Monday and Thursday.
Classes for Dubai residents will be held at various venues in Karama and Bur Dubai, from 5 to 7pm, on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Dr Kshama has a Master's degree in dance and a doctorate in Sanskrit literature.
She has trained with well-known Kathak gurus Pandit Kundanlal Gangani and Pandit Birju Maharaj and is also an accomplished Bharatnatyam and Kathakali dancer.
She has also studied traditional Indian folk dances and has presented several solo performances in India and the UAE.
Over the last two decades, she has groomed several UAE-based talents. Her students belong to different nationalities and range in age from 6 to 60 years.
"Dance is good for young girls because it makes them more graceful and confident. I also recommend it to older women because it helps to release stress and is a great way to stay fit," says Kshama.
"Kathak is an easy dance form to learn and within eight sessions even 6 year olds can learn to perform beautiful pieces. I have included folk dances in the summer programme to add some variety and make it more fun."
"All the participants will get an opportunity to perform on stage at a dance evening that I choreograph and organise every year to showcase the talent of my students," she adds.
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South Indian film show
Two-time National Award winning Malayalee singer M.G. Sreekumar and music director Balabhasker will tour the Gulf countries with popular South Indian film and television personalities in September.
The show Vaasantha Sandhya will see actors such as Kottayam Nazeer, Nawas, Sarath, Sarika, Meera Krishna, Remya, Suby and Devi Chandana.
Chitra Iyer and Manjari will sing both classical and modern songs. There will also be a magician, Raj Kalesh.
East Coast Vijayan, the man behind many events including the recent Mohabbath and Marhaba 2005, said: "The very cream of the industry, the new generation artistes, will be with us for the tour. What we promise the fans is an entertainment package replete with humour, melody and drama."
The team will arrive in the UAE after their performance in Oman. They will stage their show at the Al Nasr Leisureland, Dubai, on September 8 and 9. Shows are also planned in the other emirates.
The Kathak classes cost Dh250 for eight sessions. For registration, e-mail to kshamamunshi@hotmail.com.
