Anonna Guha

🪔 About

Dr. Anonna Guha is a distinguished Indian classical dancer, choreographer, teacher, and scholar specializing in Kathak. She began her dance journey at the age of two and a half, initiated by her father and Guru, Dr. Tushar Guha, at Nrityanjali, a renowned institution in Mumbai. She commenced her formal Kathak training at Nrityanjali at the age of six and holds a Visharad in Kathak from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. Her extensive training includes tutelage under esteemed gurus such as Shri Bireshwar Gautam, Dr. Shveni Pandya, Shri Maulik Shah, Smt Ishira Parikh, Padmashree Roshan Kumari, and Padmashree Damayanti Joshi. With a performing career spanning over 42 years, Dr. Guha has more than 1500 dance shows to her credit, encompassing Kathak recitals, folk dances, and lead roles in various dance dramas. Notable performances include a solo Kathak recital at the Kala Ghoda Fair, appearances at the Godrej Academy at the National Centre of Performing Arts (NCPA) Mumbai, and on Doordarshan in Kathak ballets like "Ghungroo," "Shodh," and "Sheela." She was the lead dancer in Hima Devi's "Reach For The Sun," celebrating 50 years of Indian Independence. Dr. Guha is a graded Kathak artiste with Doordarshan, Mumbai, and regularly choreographs and presents Kathak pieces for Nrityanjali, where she serves as the lead Kathak and Folk dancer, and Head of Department for Kathak. She conceptualized and choreographed the Kathak ballet "Nritya Shakti." Beyond her performing career, Dr. Anonna Guha is a scholar with a double doctorate: one in Sociology, with a fellowship from the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) on "Dance in the urban culture," and another in Human Relations from the USA. She holds a National Eligibility Test (NET) degree for lectureship and a post-graduate diploma in personality development and psychology. She is a Trustee and Joint Managing Director of Nrityanjali and has written articles on dance for magazines like Time Out Mumbai and On Stage. Since 2015, she has been the Honorary Dance Curator for the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival and is also a TED X Speaker on the 'Importance of Performing Arts in Education.' Awards & Honours: Menaka Award for Kathak dance, Woman of Substance Award.