kathak dancer performer
Performances
Ishwari's first steps on stage at the age of 4 laid the foundation for a performing career of vast experience. At the early age of 11, she performed solo at venues like Bharat Bhavan Bhopal, and IIC New Delhi. In 2011, she was invited to perform at the 80th anniversary celebration of the prestigious Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in Pune. Her early performances garnered her high praise as a Kathak prodigy of immense promise and talent. Today, she is an active member of the artistic community as a Kathak exponent, performer, and educator.
Her first international presence as a Kathak dancer was in 2010 where she accompanied her Guru Prerana Deshpande in New York for an event under IAAC and Asia Society. Since then, she has visited the USA and Canada for performances and workshops from 2014 to 2023. In 2014, she also toured Southern African countries under ICCR as the lead dancer of her Guru's troupe. Her solo international performances have spanned across major platforms like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre (NYC), LearnQuest Boston, MIT Cambridge, and some diplomatic offices.
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Ishwari has had the fortune of performing solo multiple times at some of the most prestigious platforms in India like Kathak Kendra's Kathak Mahotsav (2024), NCPA (2024, 2015), Pt Jitendra Abhisheki Mahotsav (2016), Bharat Bhavan Bhopal (2025, 2014, 2007), even under legendary Pt. Birju Maharaj ji's Kalashram (2009, 2017), among others.
​The iconic dance critic Padma Shri Dr Sunil Kothari has unboundedly praised Ishwari's performances in 2013 and 2019 in his articles in Narthaki.
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Some of her recent performances include Pt Nandkishor Sharma Smriti Samaroh Bhopal, Medai Bangalore, Kalaavart and Suruchi Kendra in Jaipur, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and Infosys Foundation's 250th event in Pune, Zapurza Museum Pune, among others.
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In 2017, Ishwari also curated a special Mehfil at Ashoka University where her performance aimed to educate new audiences to various nuances of the dance form. She was also invited by the Pune Expat Club for an exclusive lecture-demonstration on Kathak as part of a Kathak & Ballet event. Her passion for Kathak reflects in her dance and she aims to continue to share the beauty of this art with global audiences.
She has also worked on some of her own solo choreographies on various subjects ranging from poetry to sculpture. One of her early choreographies 2014 received high praise at a performance series featuring other major artists in the city.
As part of the prestigious Young India Fellowship, Ishwari worked on a choreographic project on the life of celebrated artist Frida Kahlo which received high praise for its thoughtful presentation.
Her recent, short choreographic works on poetry, sculptures, and innovative music pieces (as recently as 2025) have received great appreciation by audience and critics from the fields of art and culture. She aims to work on more complex choreographies to expand her creativity and movement vocabulary.​
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Ishwari has been the lead dancer of her Guru's major choreographic works, with solo appearances too. Shanyayan 7.5 Beats and Bells, Taal Mala, Vrindavan Raas, Dhrupad, even a collaborative project on Saint Meera. Ishwari has also worked with other senior artists to present their major works on significant platforms in India and in the US.
some Recent performances
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Pt Nandkishor Sharma Smriti Samaroh, Bharat Bhavan Bhopal - Dec 2025
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Adishakti Laboratory for Theatre Arts and Research, Auroville - Nov 2025
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Blend by Aangan and Medai The Stage, Bangalore - Sept 2025
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Yuva Ekal by Kalaavart and Suruchi Kendra, Jaipur - July 2025
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Confluence, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and Infosys Foundation's 250th event, Pune - June 2025
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Zapurza Museum and Nad-Roop, Pune - March, Sept 2024
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Kathak Mahotsav, Kathak Kendra New Delhi, Pune - Feb 2024
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NCPA, Mumbai - Jan 2024