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2004 NEA National Heritage Fellowships
ANJANI AMBEGAOKAR
Kathak dancer, Diamond Bar, CA
Anjani Ambegaokar came to the United States in 1967 from her native India and
has since become the most well known dancer, choreographer, and educator of
Kathak in the nation. Kathak, a popular but very complex form of North Indian
dance with a 4,000-year history, tells stories of ancient mythology
incorporating fast tempo barefoot rhythms with ankle bells and distinctive,
graceful hand gestures and facial expressions. Anjani began her training in
Kathak dance over fifty years ago, studying with the great master teacher Guru
Pandit Sundarlaljee Gangani in India. She also holds an M.A. degree in Kathak
dance from the M.S. University of Baroda, India.
Her school, the Sundar Kala Kandra Dance School, has trained hundreds of
dancers, while her company, Anjani's Kathak Dance of India, has performed around
the world. Anjani trained her daughter, Amrapali, now the principal dancer of
her company who recently performed as the lead dancer in the Cirque du Soleil's
touring production Dralion. Anjani has also taught at universities, offering
seminars such as the "Landscape of Mathematics," demonstrating how Kathak
rhythms can be applied to understanding mathematical theories. She says, "I
want to continue to develop myself as a complete artist, with open mind and deep
rooted tradition, to support my dreams of taking Kathak dance to new heights and
making it accessible to all audiences in the United States and worldwide."
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