Samskritiki Shreyaskar is a dance academy established in Calcutta under the directorship of Smt. Rani Karnaa. The academy aims to study, teach, cultivate, demonstrate and develop the performing arts in general and Kathak in particular.
The academy has achieved an impressive measure of success in producing students who can dance with due poise and dignity. In spite of their youthful years, the students at the academy relish dancing in the requisite way without the touches of frivolity and mere acrobatics in rhythm that creep into Kathak easily so frequently. An even emphasis is laid on rhythm, footwork, figural beauty and expressiveness.
The students of the academy have already performed in various festivals. These include the Konarak Festival, 1994, a recording for Channel 3 at the Central Production Centre, New Delhi, 1994, the Jaipur Kathak Festival, New Delhi, 1995, the Rabindra Janmotsav, Calcutta, 1996, 1998 and 1999, the Vasantotsav, New Delhi, 2000, the Natyanjali Festival, Chidambaram, 2000, the Puri Beach Festival, 2000, the Kathak Mahotsav, Calcutta, 2000 , the Thyagaraja Festival, Tirupati, 2000, live telecast for the Channel 7 at Doordarshan Kendra Calcutta, 2000 and the Virasat Festival, Mangalore, 2000.