WOMAD

Dr Malabika Mitra

From India

Kathak is a style of Indian dance which uses the whole body, from the eyebrows to the toes, and requires extreme technical rigour, as well as creative interpretation. Judges at Kathak festivals place a high importance on the quality of footwork, but also look for emotional content in the dances, and this is most often expressed through the eyes. Dr Mitra had to abandon her medical practice when international success as a classical Indian dancer beckoned. She had been a dancer since the age of three, studying for 14 years in Jaipur and continuing to learn the nuances of the Kathak style of dance in Lucknow. She has performed throughout India, and was named the subcontinent's finest dancer by the Delhi Sunday Mail in 1989. She has danced in Britain twice before - at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London in 1985 and the Bath Festival in 1991. She has also visited Russia. For this performance, she will be accompanied by musician Pratip Bannerjee and tabla player Dinanath Mishra, who became a pupil of Pandit Sharda Sahai (also appearing this weekend) at the age of eight and is now recognised as a leading player in the Benares style.