There are silences that carry weight, the kind that hold generations of untold stories. For many women, especially those from South Asian communities, that silence has been both armour and cage.
I’ve seen it. I’ve felt it. And recently, I’ve witnessed how art — and one artist in particular — can transform that silence into power. Her name is Amina Khayyam.
A British-Bangladeshi Kathak dancer, choreographer, and dance maker, Amina’s work has redefined what classical Indian dance can mean in today’s world. Trained under respected teachers Alpana Sengupta and Sushmita Ghosh, Amina made her professional debut at the Southbank Centre and has since performed across the UK and abroad.
But what truly sets her apart is her voice — not spoken, but expressed through movement.
Through her company, Amina Khayyam Dance Company (AKDC), founded in 2013, she has turned Kathak into a medium for activism and empathy. Her productions often explore the lives of women who live on the margins, their pain, resilience, and rediscovery of self.
This October, Amina brings her vision directly to Slough, not as a performer, but as a mentor, guide, and collaborator. Through her storytelling in Kathak, Amina unravels the invisible chains of patriarchy that women have quietly carried through generations. It has gone on for so long that endurance has become mistaken for strength.
On 16th October, she will lead an all-women dance workshop at The Curve, inviting women of all ages and backgrounds to experience how movement can be a form of voice.
No dance background is needed, only the willingness to express.
The workshop is more than training; it’s participation in something larger, a movement that empowers women to reconnect with their stories through art.
And this journey doesn’t end there.
On 4th November, the company’s latest production, “Bibi Rukiya’s Reckless Daughter”, takes the stage at The Place, London. A bold and deeply moving dance-theatre performance that gives form to the voices of women breaking free.
A special ‘Go & See’ coach will travel from Slough to London for the show, making it easy for local women and supporters to attend and be part of this celebration of resilience.
For me, this is not just about a dance performance. It’s about reclaiming a shared story. It’s about women rising, not by shouting, but by moving together.
Amina Khayyam and AKDC remind us that change often begins softly, with a whisper.
But that whisper, when shared by many, becomes a movement.
