Amika Kushwaha is an award winning performer, choreographer and instructor of Kathak. She is one of the few Kathak artists in Canada who pairs her performances with live musical accompaniment. This live collaboration between dancer and musician enables moments of spontaneity and thus no two performances are ever the same. Her interactions with her audiences and her style of explanation of dance compositions have made her a delight to watch on stage.
Amika is also a master Harmonium player, and is a sought after accompanist who not only won the heart of Cassius Khan, but also of the Late Khalifa of the Delhi Gharana of Classical vocal, Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan! Her sonorous Harmonium playing coupled with her excellent ability to follow the voice, as well as providing the steely timing of Lehra playing to Tabla soloists and Kathak dancers alike, has made her a formidable artist.
Amika has performed in many notable festivals including the Next Step Dance Festival, the Indian Electronica Festival, SXSW in Austin, Texas,, Canada Music Week, at WIPO and the UN in Geneva, Switzerland for the Permanent Mission of India.
Apart from showcasing this dance form in its traditional glamour, Amika has choreographed Kathak to many different musical genres and can intuitively interface with dancers from a variety of other dance forms, whether it be Flamenco, Canadian Step, Tap, African, or Ballet all while staying true to the art of Kathak.
Amika Kushwaha is also the Co-Producer of the Mushtari Begum Festival of Indian Classical Music and Dance, which was founded in 2012 to maintain and showcase classical Indian music and dance in Western Canada.
A recipient of the 2019 Bernie Legge Cultural Award from the City of New Westminster Chamber of Commerce, the 2019 Shakti Award, the 2005 Salute to Excellence Award from the City of Edmonton, and a Western Canadian Music Award nomination in 2011, she continues to strive for excellence in the field of the arts!
In addition to dancing and performing music, Kushwaha holds an M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering and is a sought after Kathak instructor in Western Canada.
