Gauri Bhatkhande
Gauri has received training in Kathak under the guidance of guru Pooja Pant for over 15 years. While completing her Master of Arts in Kathak from Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, India, Gauri was awarded 1st rank and has been a recipient of the Dr. Pta Sujata Natu award.
Gauri has performed both solo, and as a principal dancer of the Pooja Pant Company (PPDC) for several years before moving to the US. As a principal dancer of PPDC, Gauri has performed in various ensemble productions including 'Binda Kahat', 'Shrinkhala', contemporary productions like 'Story of a T-shirt' etc. She has performed at several prestigious venues and festivals across India, including the Naval Kathak Utsav at the Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Center (New Delhi), and Ravindra Natya Mandir (Mumbai). Gauri has given solo performances at the 'Nrityankur' festival, 'Rangmanch Pravesh' ( a 2-hour solo), and more recently at the 'Dance for World Community Festival' organised by the José Mateo Ballet theatre in Massachusetts in Sept 2022.
Through her work, Gauri wishes to explore traditional movements, stories, and concepts in kathak through modern sensibilities. While adhering to the rigorous methods of Kathak as an Indian Classical dance, she wishes to push boundaries and create new, more relevant work drawing from the historical stories which are integral to Kathak. (Katha kahe so kathak -- the dance of story tellers)
Gauri still continues to teach at the Pooja Pant School of Kathak, applying the pedagogies developed at PPSK while training senior students pursuing BA and MA degrees in Kathak. In addition to Kathak, Gauri has also received training in Bharatnatyam for over 10 years.
Gauri has performed both solo, and as a principal dancer of the Pooja Pant Company (PPDC) for several years before moving to the US. As a principal dancer of PPDC, Gauri has performed in various ensemble productions including 'Binda Kahat', 'Shrinkhala', contemporary productions like 'Story of a T-shirt' etc. She has performed at several prestigious venues and festivals across India, including the Naval Kathak Utsav at the Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Center (New Delhi), and Ravindra Natya Mandir (Mumbai). Gauri has given solo performances at the 'Nrityankur' festival, 'Rangmanch Pravesh' ( a 2-hour solo), and more recently at the 'Dance for World Community Festival' organised by the José Mateo Ballet theatre in Massachusetts in Sept 2022.
Through her work, Gauri wishes to explore traditional movements, stories, and concepts in kathak through modern sensibilities. While adhering to the rigorous methods of Kathak as an Indian Classical dance, she wishes to push boundaries and create new, more relevant work drawing from the historical stories which are integral to Kathak. (Katha kahe so kathak -- the dance of story tellers)
Gauri still continues to teach at the Pooja Pant School of Kathak, applying the pedagogies developed at PPSK while training senior students pursuing BA and MA degrees in Kathak. In addition to Kathak, Gauri has also received training in Bharatnatyam for over 10 years.
