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.