Shama Bhate Biography 
Shama Bhate is a renowned Kathak artist of independent era. She hails from Belagavi, and has an experience of about 4 decades in this field. She is fondly called Shama Tai by her disciples and dear ones. She is also a wonderful choreographer who structured numerous dance pieces and a renowned teacher too. She started Dance Academy Nadroop in Pune, where she teaches Kathak and currently serves as its director. Her institution is aimed at a modern consciousness to the dance form of Kathak, apart from following traditional method. Over the years, Bhate has trained numerous professional Kathak Dancers, who performs in India and abroad, and also teach other students. She is the daughter-in-law of renowned Kathak exponent of Bihar, Rohini Bhate.
Shama Bhate was born in Belgaum in the year 1950. Gulab Baisa Naik and Ganagadhar G Naik are her parents. She married Sanat Bhate, son of famous Kathak dancer Rohini Bhate. The couple has one son. Shama got training in Kathak from some of the renowned artists of yesterdays, such as Pt. Birju Maharaj and Pt. Mohan Rao Kallianpurkar. Along with it, she has been a self-learner too.
She is a board member of several universities, and also teaches students in many colleges. As a choreographer, she has experimented with both traditional styles and contemporary. She has created a repertoire of traditional and classical compositions in her perspective. On the occasion of the 85th birthday celebration of the singer Lata Mangeshkar, she choreographed the dance ballet 'Chala Vahi Des’ performed by her students. “Ateet ki Parchhaiyan - Reflections on the Mahabharata Saga” is yet another wonderful piece of work she did in 2015. She often makes rare fusion of Kathak with Jazz.
Published: September 12, 2018
Updated: September 12, 2018
