Rhythm artist Jin Won explores the sonic and visual possibilities of rhythm through dance and music. An accomplished kathak dancer and tabla player of South Korean origin, Won spent over 15 years in India training in Indian classical percussion and dance under Pandit Divyang Vakil and Shrimati Shubha Desai, respectively.

While equally adept at traditional and contemporary presentations of kathak and tabla, Won’s latest endeavours are explorations of rhythm as a unifier across cultural expressions. Since moving to the United States in early 2010’s, Won has collaborated with Korean and Arabic traditional artists and incorporated a multitude of percussion instruments from around the world into her work.

A firm believer in the value and rigor of strong foundations in a specific form, Won trains the next generation of Indian classical artists as a faculty member at the Taalim School of Indian Music (USA), located in the Tristate Area. She also conducts workshops and masterclasses on the fundamentals of Indian classical dance and music across the US and worldwide. Furthering her goal to spread Indian classical arts, she has authored a textbook on tabla.

Her unconventional journey from a theatre artist in Korea to ambassador for Indian classical arts has been the subject of a documentary by the Korean Broadcasting Service and serves as an inspiration to many.