Menaka Dance

Shivani Jatar is a dance artist, choreographer, and creative producer based in Leeds, UK, originally from Mumbai, India. Her practice is rooted in Kathak dance, which she has trained in for over 20 years under the guidance of Dr Rupali Desai and Guru Sanjukta Wagh. She holds an MA in Dance and Creative Enterprise from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, where her work expanded to include contemporary dance and experimental performance.

Shivani is endorsed by Arts Council England as an artist of Exceptional Promise, through which she was awarded the Global Talent Visa in 2025. In 2024, she received the Develop Your Creative Practice (DYCP) grant, which enabled her to establish herself as an independent practitioner and further develop her interdisciplinary approach.

As a performer, Shivani has presented work across theatres and festivals in both India and the UK. Her credits include working in productions such as 'Play Ball' for Nina Rajarani Srishti Dance Creations, as well as solo performances at venues such as Leeds Playhouse, Seven Arts, Carriageworks Theatre, and Headingley Stadium.

As a choreographer, she is curious about using multiple movement languages and bringing Kathak into dialogue with other performance practices. For South Asian Heritage Month 2025, Shivani devised a special line-up of heritage repertoire pieces from her training in dialogue with a Bharatanatyam dancer. This show highlighted the roots of each dancer's practice and the collaborative routes they found to evolve in an ever-changing landscape.

Alongside her artistic practice, Shivani works as a creative producer. Her producing experience spans arts marketing, communications, and event production, with a focus on supporting independent artists and creating platforms for dialogue, collaboration, and exchange. In 2023, with the support of SAA-uk, Shivani directed 'One Dha At A Time' featuring four artists' unqiue expressions of classical South Asian dance. She also has an interviews series called 'Threads of Change' with researcher Venu Parijat which studies the practises of South Asian artists in the UK.

Since 2025, she has been working with the King’s Trust to support the launch and development of Menaka Dance. Shivani is the founder of Menaka Dance, a platform that brings together her work in performance, teaching, and creative production. Through Menaka Dance, she develops projects, offers classes and workshops, and supports a growing network of artists and learners.