Farah Yasmeen Shaikh is an international kathak artist - a renowned performer, choreographer and instructor, and Founder/Director of Noorani Dance. Farah is known for her evocative storytelling, technical precision, delicacy and grace, with a unique artistic voice that focuses on topics of historical, social and political relevance, whilst simultaneously maintaining the classical elements of this dance form from ancient India. Performing her own traditional and innovative works, most notably, The Forgotten Empress, focused on the life of Mughal Empress Noor Jahan and Farah’s newest work, The Partition Project - a compelling play based on the 1947 India-Pakistan Partition performed through dance, theater, music and multimedia, in collaboration with EnActe Arts. Farah has received support and recognition for her work from the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, New England Foundation for the Arts, Zellerbach Family Foundation, Alliance for California Traditional Arts, San Francisco Foundation, SVCreates and Dancers’ Group. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area and training the next generation of Kathak artists in the U.S., Farah performs and teaches extensively in Pakistan.