KasheDance and Kala Collective

KasheDanTek is a system of philosophies in performance and outreach linking Caribbean and African Diasporic sensibilities. It is the root source for all KasheDance activities. KasheDanTek incorporates Afro-Caribbean and contemporary movements, music, philosophies, and training techniques.

Kala Dance Collective is a Toronto-based group of dancers rooted in the classical tradition of Bharatanatyam. Since its inception in 2019, the collective has been dedicated to exploring innovative and contemporary perspectives within the form, while honoring its classical integrity. Their work seeks to tell stories that resonate with the diasporic experience, celebrate shared heritage, and showcase the beauty and diversity of South Asian culture through dance.

Trained as an urban planner, Shalaka Jadhav took the advice of a grade school aptitude test and currently practices as an independent researcher, writer, and curator. Their work explores spatial positionality, grief geographies, and public memory. Shalaka is a co-founder of Dirty Work Studio, a community risograph print shop in downtown Kitchener.

Kate Kamo McHugh is a dance and theatre artist exploring migration, belonging, and the intersection of art and care. She is currently working on Retraced, a collaboration with her spouse, documentary photographer Colin Boyd Shafer, and their two children, wherein they explore the spaces her grandparents were forcibly moved from and to during Japanese Internment.