Manisha Gulyani

🪔 About

Manisha Gulyani (Hindi: मनीषा गुलयानी), born on September 14, 1985, is an eminent Indian Kathak dancer of the Jaipur Gharana. She began her dance training at the age of seven at Jaipur Kathak Kendra, initially under the guidance of Dr. Shashi Sankhla. Gulyani further honed her skills as a disciple of Pt. Girdhari Maharaj and has been taking advanced training under the able guidance of Guru Prerana Shrimali. She also received training in rhythm mastery from Pt. Udai Mazumdar. An ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) Kathak artiste, Manisha Gulyani has served as a teacher and performer for ICC centres abroad, delivering workshops that combine performance demonstrations with instructional sessions on Kathak techniques. Her extensive performance career includes prestigious national and international platforms such as the Bali Spirit Festival, Silk Roads Project Venice, Nanning International Festival China, Trufesta International Dance Festival Nigeria, Culturall Europe, OMI & High Point University USA, Khajuraho Dance Festival, Kathak Samaroh Rajasthan Utsav, and Vindhya Utsav. She has also performed in a composition 'Vande Mataram' under the direction of Pt. Birju Maharaj. Beyond Kathak, Gulyani possesses expertise in various Indian folk dances, including Chari, Ghoomer, Kalbeliya, Gidda, Kashmiri-Doongri, Pahari, Mand, Bengali Gair, Garba, Dandiya, Odiya, and several tribal dances. Academically accomplished, Manisha Gulyani is a NET (National Eligibility Test) qualifier and has been recognized as a Research Fellow under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. She served as the Head of the Performing Arts Department at Amity University Jaipur from 2011 to 2014. She is also a graded artist with Doordarshan, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and has been identified as a potential Kathak Artiste for Cirque De Soleil's productions. Gulyani is a founder executive member of the Delphic Council of Rajasthan and the curator of the annually organized Indian Classical Dance festival, Thirak Utsav. She has also launched the "Focus Performing Arts Society" to serve performing arts. Manisha Gulyani is married to Hindi fiction writer Lokesh Gulyani. Awards & Honours: Natya Sri Award (2017), Aekalvya Samman (2016), Women's Achiever Award (2015), National Junior Research Fellowship, National Scholarship (Junior and Senior), Merit Scholarship, OMI International Dance Residency Award (2007), ISFI Gold Award in Dance (2012), Youth Icon Award (Arts) (2014), A Graded Artist.