Circle is proud to present a rare and exciting evening of Kathak dance performed by torchbearers of the three prominent gharanas (lineages), Lucknow, Jaipur, and Benaras!

Vidushi Mamta Maharaj is the only daughter of the late Pt. Birju Maharaj to join his legacy of Kathak. With over 25 years as a leading Kathak dancer, she is among the first female professionals from the Lucknow gharana to adopt the dance form as a profession. Ms. Maharaj teaches at her father’s dance institute, Kalashram, in Delhi.

Ragini Maharaj is a prolific and respected international performer. She is one of the youngest members of the late Pt. Birju Maharaj’s Kathak lineage (9th generation) and grew up under the tutelage of her grandfather, her aunt, Mamta Maharaj, and her father, Deepak Maharaj.

Joining Mamta and Ragini, are two rising young stars, Durgesh Gangani and Vishal Krishna. As the youngest recipient of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar Award (national award given to young artists under 40), Durgesh Gangani carries the legacy of the Jaipur gharana of Kathak passed down to him from his grandfather, the late Pandit Sundarlal Gangani, and his father, Pandit Jagdish Gangani.

Vishal Krishna is a 4th generation dancer of the Benares gharana, which is anchored in the legacy of his grandmother, “Kathak Queen” Padmishri Sitara Devi, and his great-uncle, the renowned maestro Pandit Gopi Krishna. He trained under the tutelage of his grandmother as well as Pandit Mohan Krishna and Pandit Ravi Shankar Mishra.