Pt. Birju Maharaj gave his first performance at the age of seven. He gave Kathak Dance a new dimension by developing his own unique style and popularised this classical dance of North India all over the world and is a familiar face of Indian Kathak dance. He has performed in almost all the countries. He is a wonderful singer with a strong grip over, Thumri, Dadra, Bhajan and Ghazals.
A Well-known exponent of Kathak, recipient of Sangeet Natak Academy Award, Padma Vibhushan, Kalidas Samman, Soviet Land Nehru Award, SNA Award, Sangam Kala Award. He belongs to an illustrious family of dance masters of the Lucknow Gharana. His two uncles Shambu and Lacchu Maharaj, and his father Acchan Maharaj were all well-known Kathak dancers. Apart from Kathak, he is also an accomplished vocalist.
He took Kathak to
new heights by choreographing new Kathak dance dramas. He is also the founder
of Kalashram. Pandit Birju Maharaj is not only a Kathak dancer but also
a sensitive poet and captivating orator. He composed many dance dramas like 'Gobardhan Leela', 'Makhan Chori',
'Malti-Madhav', 'Kumar Samvav', 'Phag Bahar' etc. He also composed two
classical dance sequences for Satyajit Ray's film 'Shatranj Ke Khiladi'. He has
a special flair for playing percussion instruments like Tabla, Pakhawaj,
Dholak, Naal and string instruments like Israj, Violin, Swar-Mandal, Sitar etc.
His talent, dedication, innovation, training, repertoire and performances have earned him the status of a living legend in India and his soulful performances give the audience something that they can treasure and keep for their life time.
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