About
Manjari Chaturvedi is an Indian classical dancer, the creator and only performer of Sufi Kathak, a form she formally launched in 1998 that fuses Kathak with the mysticism of Sufi poetry and music. Over two decades she has blazed a distinctive path, performing across some two dozen countries.
Born in Lucknow into a distinguished family and trained in the Lucknow gharana under Arjun Mishra, with abhinaya under Kalanidhi Narayan at Nrityagram, Manjari Chaturvedi launched Sufi Kathak in 1998. She has given some 300 concerts across 24 countries with 385 musicians, performed at the Smithsonian Sufi Symposium and a UNESCO Living Heritage conference, collaborated with international artists, and founded the Sufi Kathak Foundation to support marginal artists and scholars.
The artistry
Chaturvedi weaves the footwork and grace of the Lucknow gharana of Kathak together with the whirling, ecstatic spirit of Sufi tradition, drawing on the poetry of Rumi and Bulleh Shah and collaborating with hundreds of musicians. Beyond performance, she has used Sufi Kathak to support marginalised artists and advance research through her Sufi Kathak Foundation.
[Atlas Perspective] Manjari Chaturvedi is a genuine innovator who created Sufi Kathak and carries it globally. For festivals and cultural-diplomacy programmes wanting something distinctive, she is a strong, differentiated choice.
Manjari Chaturvedi created an entirely new performance idiom in Sufi Kathak, bridging Kathak and Sufi mysticism, and through her foundation has linked her art to advocacy for marginalised performers, making her a distinctive figure in Indian dance.