Kathak School in Bay Area

Hi everyone,

I am looking to enroll my five-year-old in a Kathak school in the Bay Area. I do not come from a Kathak background, so I would truly value guidance from this community.

From my research so far, I have identified the following schools and gurus:

• Lavanya Academy of Indian Arts (Pleasanton area)
• Vaishnavi Misra Dance & Music (Tri-Valley / San Ramon)
• Riar Academy of Performing Arts (Dublin)
• Lavanya Academy of Indian Arts by Laboni Mohanta (Dublin, Berkeley, and Alameda)
• Tarana Dance Academy by Pragya Dasgupta (San Ramon)
• Nritta Katha School of Kathak Dance – Parna Basu (Dublin)
• AARAT Kathak Academy (Pleasanton)
• Nrityāmi Dance Academy – Anshu Manchanda (Fremont / San Ramon)
• Tarangini School of Kathak Dance (Fremont / San Jose)
• Mrunali Kathak School (Sunnyvale)
• SISK – Shambhavi’s International School of Kathak (Sunnyvale)
• Noorani Dance School (Menlo Park)
• Chhandam School of Kathak (San Francisco)

However, I have not been able to gather strong firsthand references yet. If you or your children have trained at any of these schools, I would greatly appreciate hearing about your experience.

In particular, I would value insight into:

• Teaching approach for young beginners (around age five)
• Strength of classical foundation and clarity of technique
• Gharana lineage and how it shapes training
• Performance opportunities (recitals, community events, stage exposure)
• Overall rigor versus hobby-style instruction

We are based in Walnut Creek and would prefer something in the East Bay or Tri-Valley, but we are open to traveling if the training quality and mentorship are exceptional.

Thank you in advance for helping us!