Kathak

Ulhaas- Kathak in all its Glory
Asavari Pawar
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Hailed as the Dancing Jewel of India, Asavari Pawar inherited a love for this classical art from her illustrious father, Padmashri Guru Pratap Pawar, who is regarded one of the leading exponents of the Lucknow gharana of Kathak. Asavari took to dancing from the age of 8 as part of her father’s dance troupe, Triveni in London, and has never looked back since.

Asavari Pawar also underwent three years of rigorous training with Pt. Vijay Shankar and perfected the art of the Kathak dance form, assimilating its layakari (rhythm) aspects. She also took training in classical singing under the renowned Smt. Girija Devi. Apart from Kathak she has trained in English Ballet and African Folk with Haitian Ballerina Madame Lavinia Williams. She has been an active pupil of Odissi under Late Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra & has participated in Kathak workshops by Shri Satyadev Dubey in Kolkata.

The performance will include solo pieces from her forthcoming production ‘Th e Golden Payal’ inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale ‘The Red Shoes’. Music for the production has been composed by Pandit Jai Kishen Maharaj, son of Pandit Birju Maharaj.

Endowed with a pleasing personality and an inherent grace, Asavari suff uses her recitals with a rare lyricism. Her scintillating performances enlivened with vivid facial expressions, and sustained pirouettes with vibrant footwork, establish instant rapport with spectators.

She received her first Major Award from the then British Prime Minister, John Major, UK, 1991 and received the blessings of Pandit Ravi Shankar on the occasion. Her other accolades include Adharshila Critics’ Award for significant contribution to Kathak, 1996, Empanelled by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), DPS Society has bestowed the Award for Excellence “Role Model Teachers Award 2014” on 5th Sept 2014, Kiran Achievement Award: Woman of Excellence, 2009, Various grant awards from the London Borough of Hounslow, Arts Council of England, Scottish Arts Council etc.

She is an ‘A’ grade artist in Kathak from Doordarshan, Government of India and has her own repertory under the name, ‘Kalaashish’ funded by the Ministry of Culture.

Asavari Pawar has performed for various dignitaries including the Queen of England and performed for English, Scottish, West Indian, Italian, Mauritian television, BBC, Channel 4 and other satellite channels in different programs all over the world, as well as the National TV and Doordarshan.