Meet the women architects of Kathak

From its origins in royal courts and intimate mehfils, Kathak — known for its intricate footwork, energetic movements and pirouettes — has travelled onto the modern proscenium stage. This transition was shaped by several illustrious women dancers and gurus in Independent India, who introduced innovative methods that gave the traditional form a contemporary edge.

Under Mughal patronage, Kathak evolved further. Beyond palace courtyards, the form survived largely because of courtesans, who preserved and transmitted this artistic tradition across generations.

How these women brought Kathak to the modern stage was the core theme of the sixth edition of the Dr. Maya Rao Kathak and Choreography Conference, organised by the Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography in Bengaluru. The institute is led by senior dancer and choreographer Madhu Nataraj, daughter of Kathak exponent Maya Rao. She is also the founder of STEM Dance Kampini, known for its contemporary productions.

Madhu Nataraj is carrying forward her mother Maya Rao’s vision
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Special Arangement

 “Post-Independence, it was women who adapted Kathak from the gharanedars and male dancers and carried it to different cities. Today, the cities where the gharanas originated are no longer major Kathak hubs. Many gharanedars left these centres and moved to Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai to work in institutions established by women such as scholars Kapila Vatsyayan and Nirmala Joshi, and patrons such as Sumitra Charat Ram,” said dancer-researcher Siddhi Goel in her talk, Women in Kathak: Architects of Modernity.

Dancer-researcher Siddhi Goel
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Special Arrangement

“Maya Rao,” said Chiranjiv Singh, former director, Information, Culture and Tourism, Government of Karnataka, “was responsible for creating the Kathak ecosystem in Bengaluru. She was not only a dancer, but a visionary, who brought a fresh approach to teaching and choreography.”

It was at the behest of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, freedom fighter and craft revivalist that Maya Rao launched NIKC — said to be the first major institution of Kathak in South India, where she trained more than 4,000 students during her lifetime. She also choreographed landmark productions including ‘Amir Khusro’, ‘Venkateshwara Vilasam’, ‘Kathak through the Ages, Art and Life’ and ‘Surdas’. Chiranjiv Singh requested Madhu Nataraj to revive her mother’s ballets. 

Discussing the evolution of the dance form after 1947 in terms of choreography, institution building, pedagogy, Siddhi Goel said that today it has gradually shifted from being a solo dance to group choreography. In this context, she spoke about Madam Menaka (Leila Roy-Sokhey), one of the first woman Kathak dancers to perform on stage. “She started a dance school in Mumbai and had a graded curriculum. From 1936-1938, she toured Germany and also choreographed for a German film,” said Siddhi, who is also the founder of ‘All Things Kathak’ that works in the sphere of research and community-building in Kathak. 

Siddhi also spoke about Kumudini Lakhia and her pivotal role in mainstreaming group choreography through her experimental works such as ‘Atah Kim’, ‘Yugal’ and ‘Duvidha’ among others. In a video clip played during the session, Kumudini questioned long‑held conventions: “Earlier generations were always depicting mythological stories, but does dance have to have a story?”

In 1964, Kumudini Lakhia founded the Kadamb Centre for Dance in Ahmedabad, where she mentored several noted dancers, including Daksha Sheth and Aditi Mangaldas.

Kumudini Lakhia played a pivotal role in mainstreaming group choreography through her experimental works 
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Siddhi further noted that, unlike the revered male gurus of the gharanas, it was largely women who embraced modernity in Kathak. She highlighted how women‑led institutions shaped the form’s contemporary trajectory: Sumitra Charat Ram established the Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra in the 1950s, while Nirmala Joshi founded Sangeet Bharati in 1936. Together, they laid the groundwork for Bharatiya Kala Kendra, one of India’s earliest major institutions dedicated to classical music and dance.

It’s hard to overlook Reba Vidyarthi’s contribution to Kathak — a teacher who nurtured many leading dancers, several of whom later trained under renowned male gurus. A trained classical dancer and singer, Reba was initially forbidden by her parents from performing publicly. Yet she went on to become one of the finest Kathak teachers of her time. She developed a pioneering methodology to train physically handicapped children and also designed the Diploma (Hons) curriculum for Kathak Kendra.

“Reba ji had extraordinary depth in her craft, but very little is known about her. There isn’t a single video of her in the public domain because she never performed publicly, though a few recordings exist in the Sangeet Natak Akademi archives,” said Siddhi.

Published – February 17, 2026 05:26 pm IST