Uma Sharma

Uma Sharma, born in 1942, is a distinguished Kathak dancer, choreographer, and teacher renowned for her pivotal role in the revival of the classical dance form Natwari Nritya, later evolving into Kathak. She is the custodian of Bharatiya Sangeet Sadan, a classical dance and music academy in New Delhi founded by her father in 1946. Uma Sharma’s notable contribution lies in rejuvenating the traditional dance form and expanding its repertoire, particularly through her emphasis on the devotional Krishna poetry and court poetry of the 18th and 19th centuries celebrating the sentiment of love, known as shringara.

Uma Sharma’s early life saw her training under Guru Hiralalji and Girvar Dayal of the Jaipur gharana, later refining her skills under Pandit Sunder Prasad. Drawing inspiration from gurus like Shambhu Maharaj and Birju Maharaj, representing the Lucknow gharana, she sought to creatively fuse elements from both traditions. Her education took place at St. Thomas’ School and Lady Shri Ram College for Women in New Delhi.

In her illustrious career, Uma Sharma has not only mastered traditional Kathak presentations but has also expanded the repertoire by composing new dance numbers and full-length dance-dramas on various themes. Notably, her dance drama “Stree” explores the powerful thematic content of a woman’s position throughout history, delving into her quest for independent identity.

Uma Sharma’s influence extends globally, as she has performed and represented Indian classical dance in numerous international festivals and tours to countries such as the USSR, New Zealand, Australia, the USA, Canada, the Middle East, Japan, and China. Additionally, she has played a significant role in shaping the next generation of dancers through her School of Music and Dance in the capital.

Despite her accomplishments, Uma Sharma has faced criticism from dance critic Sunil Kothari, who perceives her style as Bollywood-oriented and accuses her of leveraging connections for awards and publicity. Uma Sharma, however, has not commented on these allegations.

Recognizing her outstanding contribution, Uma Sharma received the Padma Shri in 1973 and the Padma Bhushan in 2001 from the Government of India. She has also been honored with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Sahitya Kala Parishad Award, and the title “Srijan Manishi” by Akhil Bhartiya Vikram Parishad in 2013 for her significant contributions to Indian Kathak Dance.