Harshita Sharma Dadeech revives Panchkanya through kathak
Ahead of her new show Panchkanya, Harshita Sharma Dadeech opens up to Indulge Express about carrying forward the Dadheech Kathak legacy, finding her own voice, and preserving the art in contemporary spaces
Your new work Panchkanya revisits five mythological women through Kathak. What drew you to their stories, and how have you interpreted them through dance and abhinaya?
The stories of the Panchkanya have always inspired me, and when Guruji suggested creating a work around them, I was deeply moved. Panchkanya is designed not just as a Kathak presentation but as a narrative experience, weaving evocative songs with technical pieces like parans and kavitts, while keeping storytelling at its core.
Each character is explored in her fullness. Draupadi, for instance, is remembered beyond the cheerharan episode—her faith, sense of justice, and role in the Mahabharata define her sanctity. Similarly, Ahalya’s lesser-known story of curse, strength, and redemption is restored with dignity.
Stylistically, Panchkanya draws from the Dadheech tradition’s literary depth, technical virtuosity, and abhinaya finesse. It is both a tribute to our heritage and an attempt to make these timeless women resonate with today’s audiences—inspiring them through narratives of strength, resilience, and devotion.
As the torchbearer of the Dadheech Kathak tradition, how do you see your role in carrying forward this legacy while also finding your own voice as an artist?
As the torchbearer of the Dadheech Kathak tradition, I see my role as both custodian and innovator. My gurus, Dr. Puru Dadheech and Dr. Vibha Dadheech, created the distinct Dadheech Shaili—rooted in shastric grounding yet moving beyond gharanedari. Guruji, also a sahityakar, reminds us that “beauty lies in curves,” which is reflected in his use of karanas, angahaars, mudras, and lyrical postures. His vast compositions, Purukalp, fuse Sanskrit precision with Hindi eloquence, while Guru Ma, trained under Pt. Shambhu Maharaj, brings unmatched finesse in abhinay.
This synthesis revives forgotten traditions like bhakti nartan and dhrupad nartan, emphasizes storytelling, and nurtures dancers as thinking artists through practices like samasyapurti. For me, as performer and teacher at Natavari Kathak Nritya Academy, the journey is a vast canvas—to preserve, innovate, and pass on the tradition in ways that remain relevant and inspiring for future generations.
Kathak today is performed on many platforms, from festivals to digital stages. What, in your view, is most important to preserve when the form travels into contemporary spaces?
When Kathak enters global or digital platforms, we must not forget its roots or the gurus who gave it dignity. Once a spiritual storytelling tradition in temples, Kathak survived upheavals by moving into darbars and kothas, kept alive by tawaifs despite social stigma. Its respect was restored by gurus—renowned and unsung—who carried it to villages and temple courtyards. My Guru, Dr. Puru Dadheech, often recalls performing stutis in Ujjain, explaining that just as there is pakka gana (classical music), this is pakka naach (classical dance).
Today, while international stages matter, the next step is to return to community spaces. Guruji is establishing a gurukul near Omkareshwar, and my husband is working to take productions like Panchkanya and Sampoorna Ramayan to villages. Preservation, to me, means balancing modernity with tradition—ensuring our stories and values remain alive for audiences both global and local.