Arpita Banerjee

🪔 About

Arpita Banerjee is a renowned Indian Kathak exponent, celebrated for her innovative choreography and emotional depth in storytelling. Her journey into classical dance began at an early age, starting her Kathak training under Nritya Shiromani Guru Bandana Sen in Dhanbad, Bihar (now Jharkhand) or Kolkata. Guru Bandana Sen was a disciple of the legendary Shambhu Maharaj Ji. Despite initially pursuing a career in microbiology, Arpita Banerjee made the pivotal decision to dedicate herself to Kathak. She holds several formal degrees in Kathak, including Visharad BA, Alankar MA, and Shiksha Visharad B.Ed. from the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Maharashtra. Her extensive training also includes learning from esteemed masters such as Late Pt. Birju Maharaj, Rani Khanam, Maulik Bhai Shah, Ishira Shah, and Late Pt. Arjun Mishra. Later, after moving to Bangalore, she was further trained by Guru Shri Murali Mohan and Nandini Mehta, becoming a senior student and performer with the Nadam ensemble. Arpita Banerjee is an empanelled solo Kathak Dancer under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Govt. of India. She has performed and conducted workshops internationally in countries including the USA, Canada, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Mauritius, where she also served as an Indian cultural ambassador. Her notable productions include "Hansini," which uniquely fused Indian Kathak with ballet, set to Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, and "Kathak & Ghazal Night," which aimed to revive traditional baithak-style ghazal and Mughlia Kathak. She leads her own ensemble, Annadya Performing Arts. Awards & Honours: West Bengal State Academy Award (1995), Nritya Shiromani.