KHOJ: Firehall Presents A Contemporary Kathak Dance Extravaganza From Sept. 21-24

The Firehall kicks off its 40th anniversary season with Khoj – A Contemporary Kathak Dance Extravaganza, by Edmonton’s Usha Gupta Dance Entourage, from Wednesday, September 21 to Saturday, September 24.

By DESIBUZZCanada Staff

VANCOUVER – The Firehall kicks off its 40th anniversary season with Khoj – A Contemporary Kathak Dance Extravaganza, by Edmonton’s Usha Gupta Dance Entourage, from Wednesday, September 21 to Saturday, September 24.

Khoj – A Contemporary Kathak Dance Extravaganza blends traditional and modern movement through the different forms of the ocean, romance, rhythmic pattern, inner search for spirituality, and finishes with Sufi (divine truth). In this performance, Usha Gupta’s dance ensemble reimagines Kathak, the classical form of dance from northern India.

Gupta says, “At the heart of my inspiration for this piece is the idea that if you search for the beauty within an unshaped space, the poetry inherent in the physical body will be revealed, and the spirit of the dance will be expressed, similar to how a sculptor searches for the statue hidden within the uncut rock.”

Over the past three decades, Usha Gupta worked tirelessly as an artist, teacher, mentor, choreographer, fundraiser, community advocate, and peer supporter. She has greatly influenced the dance community and beyond, and is a well-respected and cherished artist in the Edmonton dance community.

In 2016, Gupta was inducted into the Edmonton Arts & Culture Hall of Fame, and has received many awards locally and abroad. In August of 2022, she was the recipient of the lifetime achievement award for the Council of India Societies in Edmonton. Her positive energy brings people together through artistic innovation, quality, and humanity. Usha Gupta is known as an ambassador of cultural diversity in Edmonton and Canada.