Dance like a man is what Akash Naik does. A passionate dancer since the age of 17, he has presented his art form around the globe through numerous folk dance and stage shows. His Guru Kumudini Lakhia, teaches at the Kadamb School of Dance and Music. A renowned institution based in Ahmedabad, it teaches Kathak to students from all over India and abroad.
Akash Naik has performed in various Kathak ballets directed and choreographed by his Guru. Some of them being ‘Okhaharan’, ‘Sam-Samsamvedan,’ and ‘Venugeet’. He also showcased his art in the Konark Dance Festival (Bhubaneshwar), and Bindadin Jayanti Festival (Delhi). He has performed at various places like Mumbai, Jaipur, London, Manchester and Bristol.
Akash Naik has also performed in ‘Ghanshyam’; one of the famous dance-plays directed by Pandit Ravishanker. He also had the privilege to get training and guidance from Pandit Birju Maharaj.
Akash choreographed and directed the Kathak dance ballets ‘Ghoongroo’ and ‘Visamaya’, at an early age of 26 and 30 respectively. He perceives Eastern and Western classical forms of dance as two facets of a single entity, which exist together with a strong cohesive energy. He also believes that every dancer has a unique rhythm, music and love for movement, which they express through this cosmic art form. He feels it is extremely important for an individual to express oneself. And it is solely through dance that Akash brings his innermost and most beautiful expressions out. He believes that life is very unpredictable and challenging these days and thus strives hard to learn from and keep up with the contemporary world. Teaching Kathak and conducting dance workshops presently, Akash aims to proliferate the Guru-Shishya parampara.