Acharya Pandit Sukhdev Maharaj:
Acharya Pandit Sukhdev Maharaj, a Vaishnav Brahmin from Varanasi (Benaras), was a singer and Sanskrit scholar as well as a professor of Hindu literature. He traveled extensively teaching and performing Kathak. A court musician, he encountered Bindadin Maharaj at the royal court of Nepal. APSM returned to Varanasi, determined that his children would be initiated into Kathak. Receiving tremendous social criticism for this decision, he was ostracized from his community and forced to move to Calcutta. APSM’s wish was that this fine art should not be relegated only in the temples, courts and Kothas but be accepted on a wider level by the general audience. His unique contribution was his creative endeavor to combine his vast knowledge of the ancient mythologies with their shlokas with his musical talent to create descriptive dance pieces. In particular he is known for the dynamic Tandav items which he composed, including Shiv-Tandav, Kali Vandana, and Durga Vandana. He was a courageous artist who brought his children to the great gurus of the Lucknow gharana while ennobling the dance with his attention to the ancient mythologies which carry by their very essence, a metaphor for dance, rhythm, and music.
Sitara Devi:
Sitara Devi was a legendary Kathak dancer honored by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore with the title of Kathak Queen or Nritya Samragini—the greatest female dancer of our time. She was trained in Kathak by her father Acharya Pt. Sukhdev Maharaj and also by the great gurus of the Lucknow Gharana Acchan Maharaj, Lacchu Maharaj, and Shambhu Maharaj. She also studied Bharatnatyam, traditional folk dances, and Russian Ballet. Apart from performing Kathak in distinguished venues all over the world, she also appeared in famous Indian films as an actress and dancer. She was honored with prestigious awards like Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Padma Shree, Kalidas Samman, and the India Lifetime Achievement Award for her eminent contribution to classical dance.
It was my blessings to have had the opportunity to spend one on one learning time with dearest Guruji.
Antonia Minnecola:
ANTONIA MINNECOLA is one of the few American artists recognized as a serious exponent of Kathak dance, the rhythmic and expressive style of North India. She is the disciple of Sitara Devi, widely considered the greatest female Kathak dancer of our time, with whom she has studied under the auspices of two AIIS Fellowships funded by the Smithsonian Institute.
As a solo Kathak artist, she is often accompanied by her husband, tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain, and has also appeared with his ensembles, Masters of Percussion and The Rhythm Experience. She has also appeared in many tours and festivals including the Bay Area’s Other Minds Festival, the San Francisco Jazz Festival, the Asian-Pacific Performing Arts Festival, the Auckland Festival and at Jacob’s Pillow.
Twice a recipient of the Marin Arts Council Individual Artist Grants for Choreography, she employs the Kathak style to present contemporary dance works, often collaborating with dancers and musicians from different traditions, performance artists and poets, including musicians Zakir Hussain, Aashish Khan, Terry Riley, Taufiq Qureshi, singer Molly Holm, poet Michael McClure, and hip-hop artist Rennie Harris.
She has taught Kathak in 2010 and 2011 for Lines Ballet’s BFA in Dance Program at Dominican University. Also, she has choreographed for and appeared with Ballet Afsaneh after being named lead artist in a project funded by San Francisco’s Creative Work Fund. She has also provided choreography for Siddhartha: The Bright Path for San Francisco’s Marsh Youth Theater.
I am very blessed and forever grateful to be under such a guru’s guidance for over two decades.