7 Timeless Female Kathak Dancers & their Iconic Legacies

By: WE staff

Uma Sharma  

Uma Sharma, born in 1942 in Dholpur, Rajasthan, is a celebrated Kathak dancer, choreographer, and teacher. She is best known for bringing back to life Natwari Nritya, the Vrindavan Raslila dance of yore, which eventually developed into Kathak.

Trained in Lucknow and Jaipur gharanas by renowned masters Pandit Sunder Prasad and Pandit Shambhu Maharaj, Uma introduced fresh depth into Kathak through adaptations of poems of great poets Kalidas, Tulsidas, and Rabindranath Tagore. She is director of Bharatiya Sangeet Sadan, New Delhi, and a school of performing arts started by her father in 1946, where she continues to guide and motivate new generations of dancers.

Uma has received numerous awards, including other awards, with the Padma Shri in 1973—the then youngest recipient ever—and Padma Bhushan in 2001. She was also awarded the Sumitra Charat Ram Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2022. Uma continues the great tradition of Kathak in her dance and teaching, and also facilitates the quest for artistic expression further.