Kathak Roots w/ Shila Mehta, Maya Sapera, Yuka Numao

Shila has collaborated with numerous artists from other genres to both learn and develop her approach to Kathak and to allow Indian arts to further influence progression in other fields. A firm believer of life-long learning, she has not become complacent as an artist or guru and regularly undertakes continual professional development to stay abreast of developments in aesthetics and thinking in the performing arts e.g., undertaking courses at international universities in topics such as site-specific dance and dance therapy. Currently, she is deepening this drive for development through undertaking a PhD in the area of Transcendental Aspects of Classical Indian Dance, where she is seeking to summarise and extend thinking on the wider benefits of performing arts. That is, what they offer individuals and society beyond the culturally informed engagement opportunity. All in all, through her actions and achievements, alongside those of her own students, Shila has demonstrated the attributes of an artist who is skilled as a performer, innovator, thinker, educator, a socialist with a passion for helping enrich the lives of others, an academic with a vision to ensure that high quality arts education thrives, alongside challenging mindsets through public speaking.