Kathak

Kathak Dr. Neeloffer Mookherjee Teacher & Choreographer for Kathak and Indian Folk Dances Dr. Neeloffer Mookherjee is a performing artist, teacher and choreographer, who specialises in North Indian Classical dance form Kathak. She received her training in the styles of both Jaipur and Benaras Gharana from Bombay, India. She has achieved a Senior Diploma in Kathak through Prayag Sangit Samiti, Allahabad, India. She was trained by Padmashree Pandit Gauri Shankar and Pandit Bhima Shankar of the Jaipur Gaharana, and by Pandit Prakash Krishna Gangani of the Benaras Gharana. Neeloffer studied Kathak for more than 15 years, before she started to perform at the concert circuit in India. She has performed at a professional level all over India from 1984-1995. She also choreographed for various stage productions, and was a Kathak teacher for Sangeeta School of Music, Bombay India. In addition to Kathak Neeloffer was also trained in various folk dance forms of India, and had the opportunity to perform in the dance troupe of Smt. Indumati Lele, who belongs to family of the maestro Shachin Shankar. Neeloffer arrived in Victoria, BC, Canada, in 1995 to pursue her academic scientific interests and completed Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Victoria (UVic) in 2001. At the University of Victoria she gained a reputation to champion the cause of Indian classical arts and was an executive member of UVic Society for Indian Classical Arts for five years. She performed in Victoria at various concerts organized by the Society for Indian Classical Arts, along with the Tabla exponent, Juno nominated Niel Golden. They were invited to perform at the West Coast Sacred Music Festival, Vancouver in 2001. Neeloffer choreographed and taught Kathak as well as folk dance at the University of Victoria recreation centre and through various community centres in Victoria, BC for more than five years. Neeloffer is currently a faculty member at department of Internal Medicine (University of Manitoba), and is the dance instructor for Kathak and Folk dances at the India school of dance, Winnipeg, MB.