About the Guru
Surekha Nurusimhadevara
Founder & Artistic Director, Kathak Kadam
Trained under Guru Smt. Trisha Biswas ji in the Lucknow style of Kathak, with an introductory course in Bharatanatyam. Currently training in Manipuri under Guru Sanjib Bhattacharya ji.
The journey
The first steps
Dance flowed into my life early. I was seven the first time I danced, not to anything classical, but to a random film song playing on TV. From then on, dance stayed with me in whatever shape life allowed. In the early days, it was my trick for earning that hundred-rupee note from visiting relatives. Then came school annual days, Vinayaka Chavithi celebrations in the colony, dance competitions and TV programs, Balavihar and Balvikas events, and book launches. For a long time, dance lived as a shelf of trophies and certificates.
When the music stopped
Classical dance, strangely, entered my life as a frustration. Every time I tried to learn, my teacher would be transferred to a faraway place, and the lessons would end before they truly began. Slowly, that distance grew until there came a point when dance simply stopped.
Kathak finds me
Then Kathak appeared, out of nowhere, through Facebook. I knew nothing about it. I had no teacher. All I knew was that I wanted to do Kathak, and then, by the grace of God, both Kathak and my guru came into my life through my sister.
Why Kathak Kadam
After years of pouring myself into this art, I began to share it by volunteering as a choreographer for community and cultural events and helping children prepare for the stage. Seeing what dance gave them, I knew Kathak could no longer remain just a hobby in my life. And that is how Kathak Kadam was born.
Teaching philosophy
I believe in understanding dance before we begin moving our hands and feet. Before becoming a dancer, it matters to be a good listener, to feel and understand emotion, and that is where our training begins. From there, we build with patience and structure:
Milestones that motivate. While we hold no university affiliation, our students appear for the Pracheen Kala Kendra examinations every year. Each certificate is a milestone to celebrate and a goal to work toward. It validates their Kathak technique, and that validation shows up as confidence when they step onto different stages.
Performance grows gradually. Students are introduced to performance gradually. Public stage opportunities come after strong foundational preparation, usually after 1 to 1.5 years depending on the student. Before that, students build confidence through classroom practice, internal assessments, and guided presentations.
Theory alongside practice. Students learn to write taal notations and understand the grammar of the dance: mudras, footwork, taals, and more, not just execute it.
Small batches, close attention. Classes have no more than 6 students at a time, and 3 to 4 internal assessments through the year, roughly once every 3 months, tell us exactly which aspect of dance each student needs more help with.
Support beyond class. A theory textbook and recorded practice tracks are available for purchase, and when the teacher feels a student needs a little extra help, doubt-clarification videos are sent personally.