Antara Bhardwaj

About the Artist

Antara Bhardwaj is one of the most dynamic kathak artists of this generation. She began her study of kathak (an Indian classical story-telling dance form) at the age of nine with legendary maestro Pandit Chitresh Das, and now runs her own dance ensemble and school, Antara Asthaayi Dance. Antara’s panache and magnetism have dazzled audiences internationally, performing at the International Kathak Festival (Chicago), Kohler Arts Center (Sheboygan, Wisc.), Disney’s REDCAT Theater (Los Angeles), National Centre for Performing Arts (Mumbai), and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Scotland). She has also had a prolific career as a filmmaker, working as an assistant director to acclaimed filmmaker, Jagmohan Mundhra (Provoked, Shoot on Sight) and most recently as a producer of Upaj: Improvise, where she brought her worlds of dance and film together. The film was broadcast nationally on PBS and screened in several festivals throughout the world. In 2019, Antara was honored as a Mosaic Silicon Valley Fellow for commitment to artistic excellence and strengthening community through multicultural arts. She continues to develop her mastery of rhythm under the mentorship of Sandeep Das (a Grammy-award winning artist with whom she regularly performs and tours) and mentors over twenty-five young girls and women in the art form of kathak.