Kalpana Verma

Kathak    New Delhi

A trained Kathak dancer, teacher & choreographer with her ardent devotion, unrelenting Riyaz and a thirst for equi-balance in TAL (rhythm), ANG (movements) and ABHINAYA (acting or histrionics) has helped Kalpana Verma to attract both the connoisseurs and the audience. After topping the three year diploma course conducted by Kathak Kendra Delhi, she was trained under the tutelage of Padma Vibhushan Pt. Birju Maharaj. She learnt percussion, Phakhawaj & Tabla under Guru Purushottam Dasji of Nathdwara, thus imbibing the nuances of rhythm, so important to the extensive understanding of the complexities of the instrument and its relation & consonance to the Kathak format. Kalpana has performed extensively, winning acclaim for her work & repertoire in India and abroad and has been associated with leading musical bodies like Conservatory of Indian Classical Music, Madras, Punjab Association and Bhartiya Nrithya Kalamandir. She has been teaching with leading schools of Delhi including Convent of Jesus & Mary & St. Thomas giving numerous choreographed productions including Stree, Aakanksha, Jit Dekheoon Tit Shyam..Shyam..Shyam Hai. She has choreographed several programmes for Bhagwan Satya Sai Baba's organization & school in Puttaparthy. Before opening her own NGO Kalahetu in 1997, Kalpana taught Kathak at Sangeet Bharati & was instrumental in the formation of Pt. Birju Maharaj's Kalashram in Delhi.