Prathibha: Talent Unveiled

Saumya Shukla is an international artist and early practitioner as well as teacher of the North Indian classical dance form Kathak. She learned this physical art form under the guidance of Indian Guru Nrityashri Alaknanda and was later appointed as a Kathak teacher and performer by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations in Budapest. In Nandkumarashtakam, audiences are introduced to her elegant, effervescent, and expressive dance style. 

Saumya opens Nandkumarashtakam with an invocatory prayer seeking blessings, followed by a Tarana that presents pure nritta through refined footwork, spins, and rhythmic precision. In this performance, her deep love for storytelling and poetry once again comes alive on stage. As the founder of the Amsterdam Kathak Festival and co-founder of The Baithak Lab, she is a natural choice to bring Kathak to Korzo. 

Mary Jane is an exceptional Kuchipudi dancer who is actively building the Kuchipudi community in the Netherlands and is co-founder of The Baithak Lab. She performs on stages across Europe and far beyond, and you may know her from Korzo’s India Dance Festival, the Lalaland Festival, or cultural presentations at the Indian Embassy. In Vrindavana Nilaye, audiences encounter her graceful and agile dance style, in which the precision of classical form meets space for musical exploration and growth. 

Vrindavana Nilaye is a Kuchipudi piece about the presence of Lord Krishna in Vrindavan, the land where he spent his childhood. The title means “the one who resides in Vrindavan.” The choreography also portrays Radha, drawn to Krishna like a bee to a flower, symbolizing love, longing, and devotion. Krishna appears in many forms: as the divine, a beloved son, a playful cowherd, and the one who dances upon the serpent Kalinga.