Anita Pandey is a Toronto-based Kathak dancer and classical vocalist. Her Kathak Guru is Smt. Urmila Sharma, disciple of Pandit Birju Maharaj of the Lucknow Gharana. Anita has given solo performances at prestigious venues such as Theatre Rialto, Festival Orientalys, Festival du Monde Arabe, Rath Yatra, Kabir Center, Gesù in Montréal, Sanskritik Kendra in Allahabad, and Sampradaya Dance Creations as part of Tanveer Alam’s group in Toronto to name a few.
Through Pratibha Arts Toronto, Anita was selected to take a master class with Smt. Saswati Sen, and is currently expanding her movement vocabulary under the mentorship of Kathak dancer, Tanveer Alam.
In 2019 Anita placed first in the Sangeet Natak Akademi state level competition in Uttar Pradesh. She was honoured with a plaque from the India-Canada Association of Montreal, as well as with a trophy from the Handia Mati Mahautsav in Allahabad.
Devoted to dance education, Anita has lectured on Kathak at McGill University, Cammac Music Centre, PROMIS etc. She is also a Kathak instructor with Dance N’ Culture Inc. Her core role as a teacher is at her school: Anita Dance and Music Academy where she grooms new dancers for the stage, in-person and online, within and outside of Canada.
Anita is validated and supported by the Canada Art Council and aims to increase the visibility of the Indian classical dance form in the west.
