Pagrav Welcomes Oxygen '24-25 Artists
Pagrav Dance Company is delighted to be welcoming another exceptional cohort to our top flight artists’ development programme for emerging dancers working with South Asian dance forms.
Meet the artists!
Helena Joshi
Helena is a dedicated Kathak artist with over 14 years of experience, privileged to learn from Guru Prerana Deshpande, in a blend of Jaipur and Lucknow gharanas carrying the lineage of Guru Rohini Bhate. She travels to India regularly for her ongoing training in the ‘guru-shishya parampara’. Recently moved to London, Helena hails from Australia, where she is the creative director of dance company ‘Infinity Kathak’ based in Brisbane and Melbourne. She is a dancer at ‘Nrityadham’, her Guru’s professional dance troupe in Pune and most recently performed the touring production ‘Taal Mala’ at the The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in January 2024 in Mumbai. To Helena, Kathak is a profound form of expression, self-discovery and devotion. Helena is also a General Practitioner with special interest in sports and musculoskeletal medicine.
Jesal Patel
Jesal is a Kathak dancer trained by her Guru Gauri Sharma Tripathi. Having trained and performed for over 28 years in this discipline, her dance career has seen her tour many productions all over the UK, Europe and India where she has performed at many major high-profile and site-specific venues.
Jesal’s passion for working with the elderly and vulnerable lead her to a path of leading ‘Dance Well’ workshops, projects and performances for CW plus and Holborn Community Association via Akademi.
Jesal is a freelance fine artist and a qualified Interior Architect.
Mira Salat
Mira Salat is a vibrant multidisciplinary dancer and the founder of Maati House, where she passionately brings Kathak and folk dance to communities of all ages through engaging participation and choreography. Mira trains with Pagrav Dance Company (PDC) and continues to inspire others with her artistry. Her recent performances include hosting the Savitri Opera, the Royal Albert Hall Qawwali Project, DEVA, PDC’s dynamic ‘Kattam Katti,’ Beeja Dance’s playful ‘Choogh Choogh,’ and the soulful ‘Sur Dhara’ by Red Lotus Events. With every step, Mira infuses traditional dance with fresh energy, connecting people to the rich rhythms of cultural heritage.
Mohika Shankar
A first-class graduate of the University of Derby, Mohika Shankar hails from New Delhi where she began her dance journey at the tender age of 5, learning the Indian Classical Dance form – Kathak – under the able guidance of Late Guru Munna Shukla Ji. As an early career South Asian Artist, Mohika is exploring the different avenues offered by Dance and has been associated with various organisations like One Dance UK and Sampad. She currently works as a freelance dance artist with Amina Khayyam Dance Company, Sonia Sabri Company, and Black Country Dance Hub among many others.
