Workshops
Dance workshops and masterclasses
Open-level sessions for studios, schools, community groups and cultural programmes across KwaZulu-Natal.
How the sessions run
A workshop is a single session, or a short series, built for a group that already exists: a studio's students, a school class, a community group, a company's staff on a heritage day. Nobody needs to have danced before, and the session is pitched at whoever turns up rather than at an assumed level.
The format is technique, expression, and the story behind the movement, taught together rather than as separate exercises. Learning what a gesture means at the same time as learning to do it is the difference between a group performing steps and a group performing something.
Divaksha has run sessions for studios and community groups alongside her performance work with Rudra Dance Theatre, and she has spoken about heritage and movement on Lotus FM for Heritage Month.
In detail
Who books them
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Dance studios
A guest masterclass in Kathak, Bollywood or semi-classical for students who train in another form and want exposure to this one.
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Schools
Curriculum-linked or heritage programme sessions, scaled to a class period or to a full morning.
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Community and cultural groups
Heritage Day and Diwali programmes, temple and society events, and sessions built around a specific festival or theme.
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Corporate and team events
Cultural days, year-end functions and team sessions where the point is participation rather than performance.
Process
Arranging one
- Step 1
Tell her the group
Who they are, roughly how many, what age range, and whether anyone has danced before. Also the date and the space you have.
- Step 2
Pick a focus
A single form, a mix, or a themed session built around a festival or a programme you are already running.
- Step 3
Confirm the format
One session or a short series, how long each runs, and whether it ends in a performance or is purely participatory.
FAQ
Common questions
- Do you run dance workshops in Durban?
- Yes. Divaksha Jinabhai runs Kathak, Bollywood and semi-classical dance workshops and masterclasses in Durban and across KwaZulu-Natal, for studios, schools, community groups and corporate events. Sessions are arranged by enquiry rather than published to a fixed calendar, and any dated workshops appear on this page when they are scheduled.
- Does anyone in the group need dance experience?
- No. Workshops are open level by default, and the session is pitched at whoever is in the room. Groups with a wide spread of experience are normal, and the material is layered so more experienced dancers have somewhere to go while beginners still finish the session having learned a full phrase.
- How many people can take part?
- It depends on the space more than anything else. Give her the room dimensions or the venue along with the headcount when you enquire, and she will say whether the group needs splitting into more than one session.
- What should participants wear and bring?
- Comfortable clothing they can move in, and bare feet or soft-soled shoes. Indian classical dance is performed barefoot. No costume or specialist equipment is needed for a workshop.
- Do you travel to schools and studios outside Durban?
- Yes. Workshops across KwaZulu-Natal are routine, including Umhlanga, Ballito, Pinetown, Chatsworth, Phoenix and Pietermaritzburg, and she travels nationally on request. Travel beyond the Durban area is quoted with the booking.
- Can a workshop be built around Heritage Day or Diwali?
- Yes, and those are among the most common requests. A themed session can be built around a specific festival, a school heritage programme or a company cultural day, with the movement chosen to suit the occasion and the story explained alongside it.
Also worth reading
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Kathak Classes
One to one and small group tuition in the North Indian classical form, taught by a dancer who completed her Rangmanch Pravesh in Kathak.
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Bollywood Dance
Choreography and tuition in the film styles, built on classical technique rather than copied off a video.
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Wedding and Sangeet
Routines built around the couple, the family and the floor you actually have.
Bookings
Tell her about your event
Fill this in and it opens WhatsApp with the details already written out, ready to send. If you would rather email, the same details go to her inbox instead.
- +27 79 638 2488
- divaksha.j@gmail.com
- Based in
- Durban, South Africa