My Year as a Teaching Fellow - Ishani Basak

Ishani Basak started Kathak when she was 5 years old. She went on to join the Youth Company and then became the youngest member of our professional dance company Chitresh Das Dance. In 2025-26 she was a part of the inaugural Chitresh Das Institute Teaching Fellowship. We’re excited to share her thoughts and reflections on being a part of continuing the legacy of Pandit Chitresh Das.

I was five years old when I first stepped into a Kathak classroom. Like many children, I was fascinated by the music, costumes, and graceful movements, but I had no idea that those first lessons would become the foundation of a lifelong journey. What began as a childhood hobby slowly grew into a deep passion, teaching me discipline, perseverance, and the beauty of storytelling through dance. When I was given the opportunity to train as a teacher through the fellowship program, I realized I had come full circle. The little girl who once worked hard to learn footwork and technique had become someone entrusted with passing that same knowledge on to others. Becoming a teacher was more than an achievement, it was a reminder of how far I had come and a chance to inspire young dancers just as my teachers had inspired me.

One of the biggest lessons I learned during the fellowship was that knowing something and teaching it are two completely different skills. After many years of dancing, much of the curriculum had become muscle memory. I could perform the movements instinctively, but I quickly realized that instinct alone isn't enough when you're standing in front of a class. The fellowship challenged me to relearn familiar compositions from a teacher's perspective. Instead of simply demonstrating a movement, I had to analyze every detail – where the feet begin, how the hands transition, where the head turns, how the body is angled, and how each piece fits together – so that I could break it down into steps that each student could follow at their own pace. Learning how to explain movement transformed the way I approach my own training. I now feel more comfortable asking questions, requesting that difficult pieces  be broken down further, and paying closer attention to details that I may have overlooked before. The fellowship has made me not only a more thoughtful teacher, but also a more intentional student.

Another experience that deeply impacted me came during this year's annual school production, when I had the opportunity to recite for the classes I was teaching. I thought I already knew  how to recite with projection, dynamics, and articulation. During rehearsals for Kaliya Daman, however, Charlotte Didi challenged me to think beyond simply speaking the bols clearly. She pointed out that while my voice was strong, it wasn't yet telling the story. I had to learn how to portray emotion and character using only my voice, imagining myself as one of the dancers and deciding when the focus should be on the taal and bols and when the character's emotions should come to the forefront. Growing up, I had always been taught to tell stories through my face and body. This experience introduced me to an entirely new dimension of Kathak: storytelling through voice alone. It expanded my understanding of performance and gave me an even greater appreciation for the many ways our tradition communicates emotion. By the final show, my recitation had improved so much that my mother barely recognized my voice from the audience.

Throughout the fellowship, I often found myself reflecting on the way Dadaji, Pandit Chitresh Das, taught us. He never simply taught steps. He shared stories, challenged us to think deeply, expected excellence, and filled every class with an infectious passion for Kathak. Every class with him felt like a year's worth of learning, and that feeling is something I've carried with me ever since. Carrying forward his legacy means striving to teach with that same joy, rigor, generosity, and love for the art form. More than preserving compositions or technique, it means passing on the spirit of Kathak in a way that inspires future generations to continue learning, questioning, and growing. I am incredibly grateful for everything this fellowship has taught me, and I hope that one day I can have even a fraction of the impact on my students that Dadaji had on me.

Click here to find out more about CDI’s Kathak Dance & Teaching Fellowships