Photo Credit: Heral Patel
barkha was a Dance/USA Institute for Leadership mentee and a recipient of the 2023 Juried Bessie Award. Through support of the New York State Dance Force, barkha completed her first tour to western NY. She was a recipient of the Princess Grace Dance Award 2024, a finalist for the NEFA National Dance Grant, and a Harlem Stage WaterWorks Fellow where she developed a part of her new full-length work called Ramti Aave - Her Playful Arrival. She has been a recipient of residencies with Movement Research residency (‘22 - ‘24) and Topaz Arts (‘25 - ‘26).
barkha recently completed a residency with mentor Harikishan S Nair (Toronto) through the New York State Choreographer’s Initiative where she was exploring the creation of contemporary kathak works grounded solely within a classical Indian dance context.
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barkha patel is a kathak dancer, choreographer, educator, and the Artistic Director of barkha dance company based in New York City.
A touring artist, barkha has performed solo and ensemble works at dance festivals in India and the U.S. Her work has had the opportunity to present at venues such as Dance Theatre Harlem, Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out, Joyce Theatre, Lincoln Center: Out of Doors, Little Island Dance Festival, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NJPAC and SOPAC. She has also performed at venues in India such as Lakme Fashion Week, Modhera Festival, Chidambaram Festival, Jamshedji Tata Theatre, India Habitat Center, Hyderabad Literature Festival, and the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Center.
Photo Credit: Rishi Raj
Socrates Sculpture Park in collaboration with visual artist Suchitra Mattai, 2024
Photo Credit: @pompomny