About
Aditi Mangaldas, born in 1960, is among the foremost Kathak dancers and choreographers in India and internationally. She trained under two towering gurus, Kumudini Lakhia at the Kadamb Centre in Ahmedabad and Pandit Birju Maharaj at Kathak Kendra in Delhi. Alongside classical Kathak, she uses that foundation to evolve a contemporary dance vocabulary rooted in the classical spirit, work that has earned wide international acclaim.
Mangaldas heads the Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company and The Drishtikon Dance Foundation, and is known for confronting present-day and social concerns through dance, from feminine desire to violence against women. Her recent productions include Forbidden and the classical solo LOST... in the forest, and the duet MEHEK with Aakash Odedra, which won a UK Theatre Award in 2024. Her next work, Weeping RED!, premieres in 2026 in collaboration with the Symphony Orchestra of India.
The artistry
Mangaldas combines exacting classical Kathak technique with a fearless choreographic imagination, moving between pure classical recitals and boldly contemporary work drawn from the same rhythmic and expressive roots. Trained under Kumudini Lakhia and Birju Maharaj, she commands dazzling footwork and spins alongside a modern sensibility for space, light and design. Through her company and her own choreographic language she probes themes of desire, freedom and the inner life, extending Kathak into contemporary territory while honouring its classical foundations.
Aditi Mangaldas connects on the Culture Atlas graph to the Kathak artform profile (her primary classical tradition), to the Delhi destination profile (Drishtikon Dance Foundation) and to the Sangeet Natak Akademi institution profile. Her student relationship with Birju Maharaj places her within the most celebrated lineage of the Lucknow Kathak tradition.
Aditi Mangaldas occupies a significant position at the intersection of classical Kathak mastery and contemporary choreographic innovation. Her work demonstrates that rigorous classical training can be the foundation for genuinely new creative work rather than a constraint on it, and her Drishtikon Dance Foundation has supported the development of several younger choreographers.