Indian Kathak dancer Rina Singha mesmerized Canadian audiences

When classical Indian Kathak dancer Rina Singha began a performance, her thaat was a sight to behold. As she stood straight at centre stage, her hands curved out in the signature stance, she undulated. Her delicate movements – from the lowering and lifting of her kohl-rimmed eyes to her fluttering fingertips – were spellbinding. She wore an ethereal aquamarine anarkali kurta (long, flared tunic) and churidaar (tight pants) and a pink dupatta (scarf) draped gossamer-like around her torso.

Whether at a dance festival in Montreal, an intimate theatre in Toronto or even in practice, Ms. Singha was mesmerizing, says Deepti Gupta, 64, a fellow Kathak dancer. Ms. Gupta was a teenager when she sought out Ms. Singha to learn the Indian classical dance. Ms. Singha was one of the first masters to introduce a range of Indian performing arts – Kathak, folk dances and music – on the Canadian mainstage, laying the groundwork for other elders such as Menaka Thakkar, Janak Khendry and Joanna De Souza. Unable to take on Ms. Gupta as a student, Ms. Singha nevertheless became a lifelong mentor to her and many others.