KATHAK BY JIN WON

South Korean artist Jin Won is an accomplished kathak dancer, and tabla player, and ambassador for Indian classical arts. Her love of Indian arts led to live in India for over 15 years training in tabla under Pandit Divyang Vakil, and in Kathak under Shrimati Shubha Desai in Ahmedabad, Gujarat before joining the Taalim School of Indian Music in the US as a faculty member and artist. Her unconventional journey has been the subject of a documentary by the Korean Broadcasting Service and serves as an inspiration to many.

A strong, yet graceful performer, Won infuses her own creativity and training as a tabla artiste into her dance performances. Her dance performances incorporate both traditional and contemporary forms of the Indian classical dance kathak.

As a Kathak dancer, she has worked with leading choreographers, including Pandit Birju Maharaj, Shrimati Kumudini Lakhia, Shrimati Saswati Sen, and Maulik Shah & Ishira Parikh. She has performed in prestigious Indian dance festivals such as the Delhi Shrinagar Dance Festival, the Jaipur Udayshankar Festival, and the Kolkata Dance Festival. As a soloist, she has performed in major cities of India, USA, Canada, Europe and Korea.

Furthering her goal to spread Indian classical arts, she has authored a textbook on tabla, which is currently being translated into Korean.