Support Us
Katha Dance Theatre relies on your generosity to sustain our programming.
Our mission is to inspire, captivate, and educate audiences about this beautiful dance tradition and its deeper cultural meaning. This is important work we could not do without your continued support!
Why support Katha Dance Theatre?
We at Katha Dance Theatre (KDT) rely on your generosity to sustain our programming. Our mission is to inspire, captivate, and educate audiences about the beautiful Kathak dance tradition while expanding its artistic boundaries, making it more inclusive and accessible to all.
Our recent performance of Panchatantra – The Dancing Tales of Wisdom exemplified so much about the essence of our mission: to pass down the Kathak tradition to future generations of artists and incorporate diverse influences and voices as open and accessible to all. This was our largest-scale production in the history of KDT, with 42 intergenerational dancers comprised of our Company, apprentices, and students, even some as young as eight years old. Along with a cross-cultural composing team, costumes imported from India and original artwork by a Minnesota-based artist, Panchatantra distilled Artistic Director Rita Mustaphi’s pioneering vision of Kathak dance.
This is important work we could not do without your continued support, especially as we look toward a Spring season of touring an expanded version of Prakritir Pratisodh – Nature’s Revenge and organizing a dance festival that spotlights a variety of classical Indian dance traditions. But why should you give today?
We recently expanded into a beautiful new studio, and with its larger size and increased expenses, we need your support to ensure we can continue providing our crucial performance and educational programming. Our performances, like Panchatantra, give everyone from all walks of life access to a cultural tradition that may open their eyes to diverse artistic voices and build stronger, more united communities. But our dance school is just as important as our onstage work, as it fosters a community of Kathak’s future artistic leaders.
If we meet our fundraising goal of $5,000 on Give to the Max Day 2024, that amount will be matched by an anonymous donor.
Donor Benefits
- Starting in Fiscal Year 2025, Katha Dance Theatre gratefully recognizes all donations $75+ with exclusive content and events. Listed benefits do not affect the tax-deductibility of gifts. All contributions to Katha Dance are 100% tax deductible unless otherwise specified. All benefit events and opportunities are subject to availability.
- Friends Circle
- Supporters ($75 – $199)
- Recognition throughout the season on kathadance.org
- Be the first to hear about KDT events through our e-communications
- Recognition in printed programs at our public events
- Enthusiasts ($200 – $349)
- All benefits included at the Supporters level
- Opportunities to observe Company rehearsals
- NOTE: This donor level helps provide scholarships to students in need
- Supporters ($75 – $199)
- Dancers Circle
- Apprentices ($350 – $499)
- All benefits included in the Friends Circle
- Opportunities for meet-and-greets with Rita Mustaphi and the Company and/or post-show parties.
- NOTE: This donor level helps provide affordable and/or free performance options for our audiences, increasing our accessibility
- Company ($500 – $1000)
- All benefits included at the Apprentice level
- Opportunities to attend dress rehearsals for Company performances at the studio and/or performance venue, or discounted tickets to performances (if available).
- NOTE: This donor level helps promote performances locally and nationally, bringing the beauty of pure Kathak to communities nationwide.
- Apprentices ($350 – $499)
Help contribute to our vital role in Minnesota’s cultural landscape!
Your donation ensures that we can continue to preserve and advance this beautiful dance tradition thousands of miles away from its birthplace, enriching lives through dance and ensuring Kathak’s continued cultural impact for years to come.
Your donation will be publicly recognized on this page and is also tax deductible, as Katha Dance Theatre is organized as a non-profit organization under 501(c)(3). Our federal tax ID is 36-3557119. We ask that you check with your employer before you give to see if they offer a gift-matching program. Also, consider making yours a recurring monthly donation to ensure it has the greatest possible impact!
THANK YOU FOR MAKING KATHA DANCE THEATRE A PRIORITY
We appreciate the support of devoted art patrons like you, who make the vitality, innovation, and diversity of Katha Dance possible. With your support, we will soar to new levels of excellence and bring the joy of dance to the widest possible audience. Thank you!
Messages from Our Community
“The dances were very beautiful and I enjoyed the rhythms, hand and body expressions and music. What we see in the movies is very different from these historical northern Indian dances … Thanks for all your work in keeping your culture alive and sharing it with other cultures.”
Audience Member
“I have always admired Katha’s imaginative & revelatory collaborations..the one with Native American Indians & Indian Indians at O’Shaughnessy years ago comes to mind.. Rita Mustaphi is a genius: great dancer, teacher, thinker”
Audience Member
“The choreography and the individual performances were uniformly splendid. However, what captivated me even more was the remarkable coherence of the movements of all the dancers. You all truly formed an organic whole…This was visual story-telling at its finest.”
Audience Member
“I really enjoyed seeing a style of dance that I had not previously experienced and appreciated the technique, story, and costumes. It was beautiful.”
Audience Member
Donate Now
Your donation is tax deductible, as Katha Dance Theatre is organized as a non-profit organization under 501(c)(3). Our federal tax ID is 36-3557119. We also ask that you check with your employer before you give to see if they offer a gift-matching program. Further, a recurring monthly donation is a great way to show your long-term support for KDT.
Donate now online:
Or, mail a check to:
Katha Dance Theatre Office
5444 Orchard Ave North
Crystal, MN 55429
Other Ways to Support
Attend Our Shows
The purchase of a ticket to one of our shows helps us monetarily, but more importantly, your presence in the audience embodies our artistic goal of making Kathak widely inclusive, relevant and accessible.
Book Us
Are you a presenter looking to flesh out your season schedule? A corporate employee looking for a workplace retreat activity? Get in touch to book a tour stop or outreach program with KDT.
Take a Class With Us
Watching a performance is one thing, but trying Kathak for yourself takes the artform to another level! Reach out to learn about our class offerings.
Our Funders
Katha Dance Theatre exists due to the generous support of the following funders:
