Saswati Sen Biography 
Saswati Sen is an exponent of Kathak and a senior disciple of Pandit Birju Maharaj. She has also choreographed numerous Dance Dramas and Ballets. Saswati has performed extensively all around the world and has been performed in several dance festivals of the country. She has also performed in National Channel of Doordarshan. Konark Festival, Lucknow Mahotsav, Kathak Prasang, Jaipur, Taj Mahotsav and Taj Mahotsav at Agra are some of the major festivals in which she showcased her dancing talents. She also conducts workshops on Kathak regularly. Currently she is also training students in the art school, Kalashram, under the aegis of Pandit Birju Maharaj.
Sen belongs to a Bengali family of legal and medical professionals. Yet she chose dance as her profession. In her initial days, she was trained by Reba Vidyarthi who wasn’t strictly traditional guru. As both of them were from Bengal, they interacted like friends. The turning point came when she got the National Scholarship and started her training with Pandit Birju Maharaj. She was trained under this renowned guru for more than four decades. Learning under a male teacher was quite difficult for her initially. Also, she belonged to a medical family, with no links to dance forms. She felt the change intensely. Yet her guru allowed her to be the way she wanted to be in class.
Now she is one of the best exponents of the famed Lucknow Gharana. She mostly teaches and performs with her Guru Birju Maharaj in his institute, Kalashram at New Delhi. She often incorporates her own presentation styles. Her forte is abhinaya which has always received high appreciation. Some of her choreographic works include Musafir, Geet Govind, Jal Yagna, Kathak yatra, Kshudita Pashan, Warna Rang, Dasavataar, Kartik Vilaas, Romeo and Juliet etc.
Published: September 29, 2018
Updated: September 29, 2018
