Mahua Shankar

Mahua means a flower that intoxicates; it’s the name that Pandit Birju Maharaj, Kathak’s living legend, chose for infant dancer Mahua Shankar, who would later become his disciple. “I am blessed,” says Mahua and you tend to believe her when you see her grace and poise on stage. Her expressive eyes and graceful movements have fascinating tales to tell. And that’s exactly what Kathak is meant to do – tell a story. It is not for nothing, you realise, that Mahua is considered to be among the finest of dancers in Kathak today. Mahua, is a practitioner of the Lucknow gharana of Kathak.

A disciple of the legendary figure of Indian classical dance, Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj, Mahua was enticed by the beauty of Kathak at a very early age of 5. Her first Gurus were her parents; father, late Shri Pradeep Shankar, and her mother, Smt. Rekha Shankar. They imbibed an undying love in her for this exquisite dance form. 

When Birju Maharaj started Kalashram, his Dance school in 1998, she has been a devotee there, of teaching, performing and at the same time mastering this elegant Dance Form, till 2009.

Since 2009 she has been presenting as a freelance performer and her delicate dance style has impressed many a hearts both in India as well as abroad. She believes her Journey on this path of Rhythm and learning about it, is never ending and rightfully so.

Ahilya Holkar Fort before H.H Prince Richard Holkar, Maheshwar (M.P)

Accompanying Artists – Ustad Murad Ali Khan, Janab Shuheb Hasan & Nupur Shankar Vedukanathan Temple,Trissur(Kerala) – Accompanying Artists - Ustad Murad Ali Khan, Janab Zakir Hussain Warsi, Janab Shuheb Hasan & Ms.Nupur Shankar Auroville Ashram (Pondicherry) – Accompanying Artists – Ustad Akram Khan, Ustad Murad Ali Khan, Janab Shuheb Hasan&Ms. Nupur Shankar. 11 &17/05/14 Performed in Tokyo& Osaka( Japan )  with Pt. Birju Maharaj, Saswati Sen & Deepak  Maharaj. Also assisted Pt Birju Maharaj for kathak workshops in Tokyo & Osaka. 29/05/14 Performed in India International Center, New Delhi  Accompanying Artists Ustad Akram Khan, Ustad Murad Ali Khan, Fateh Ali Khan, Janab Shuheb Hasan 

and Ms. Nupur Shankar

26/06/14 - 7 Essence A Journey Of Music & Dance With Story Telling... 7 Essence Artists 

Ustad Akram Khan, Pt. Rupak Kulkarni, Ustad Murad Ali Khan, Fateh Ali Khan, Mahua Shankar, Janab  Shuheb Hasan, Ms Nupur Shankar 25/03/14 to 1/03/14 - Soic Macay Circuit at Agartala lecture demonstration's and concerts,  

from25th March till 1st April 2014

Accompanying Artsist- Zakir Hussain Warsi on table, Shuheb Hasan Vocal & Harmonium,  .Nupur Shankar Vocal & Padhant .07/09/14 - 30th Chakradhar Samaroh Raigarh (CG) - Ustad Akram Khan,Ustad Murad Ali khan,

Fateh Ali Khan, Shikha S

17/09 to 20/09/14 - Concerts and lecdems at Dehradune, Haridwar, Masoorie under the banner of 

Spic Macay  2014 - Swarmangesh Festival - Accompanied by Ustad Akram Khan on Tabla, Ustad Murad Ali Khan on  

Sarangi, Janab Shuheb Hasan on Vocal & Harmonium& Nupur Shankar on Padhant.

2014 - CSKM Public School - Accompanied  by Ustad Akram Khan, Janab Murad Ali Khan, Shuheb Hasan 

& Nupur Shankar. 10th Nov 2014 St. Martin School - Accompanied by Janab Amaan Ali Khan, Janab Murad Ali Khan, 

Shuheb Hasan & Nupur Shankar.

21st Nov 2014 Amity International School -  Accompanied  by  Pandit Mithilesh Kumar Jha,

 Janab Ghulam Mohammad Khan, Shuheb Hasan & Nupur Shankar.

23/11 to 26/11 2014 - Touring Kanpur for concerts & lec-dems.

27th Nov 2014 IIM Gaziabad - Accompanied  by  Janab Murad Ali Khan, Zakir Hussain Warsi, Shuheb  

Hasan, Nupur Shankar& Shikha Sharma .

Allauddin Khan Festival, Ghungroo, Jabalpur in 2008 ICCR Tour of Hungary, Spain, London, Poland, & Germany 2008

Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad, every year from 2004 Ustad Sabri Khan Festival, New Delhi 2008 Smriti Festival, Kanpur in 2007 & 2008 Golconda Festival, Hyderabad in 2008 Tulsi Ghat Festival, Varanasi in 2008

Milap Festival, Manchester in 2007

Ganga Mahotsav, Varanasi 2007

Holi Utsav for ICCR, New Delhi 2007

Katha Utsav, Lucknow 2007 Queen Elizabeth Hall in London in 2006

Mahatma Gandhi Mission, Aurangabad 2006 Mahaggami Festival, Aurangabad 2006 Mahua will always cherish the ‘chaugal bandi’ that she performed with him, Ustad Zakir Hussain  and Saswati Sen in 1999 in the United States. It was such a pleasure dancing with two outstanding artistes such as guru and Saswati, to the rhythm set by the tabla maestro.