Amna Mawaz Khan

🪔 About

Amna Mawaz Khan is a Pakistani dancer, theatre artist, feminist, and political worker, born on July 22, 1989, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. She is recognized for her dedication to classical dance, particularly Bharatanatyam, and her efforts to preserve and promote this art form in Pakistan. Khan began her classical dance training at the age of 11 under the renowned dancer Indu Mitha at her school, Mazmoon-e-Shauq, and continued her studies for 11 years. She also explored Kathak, Uday Shankar's style of dance, and Pakistani folk dances, and undertook a short course in contemporary dance and choreography at Trinity Laban Conservatoire in Greenwich, London, England. Khan performed her arangetram, a classical dancer's first solo performance, in 2013 at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA), marking her professional debut. Following her extensive training, she began teaching dance for six years. From 2016 to 2018, she served as a dance instructor and head choreographer for the National Performing Arts Group at the PNCA in Islamabad, where she choreographed several pieces. Her performances and workshops have taken her across Pakistan and internationally to countries including America, China, India, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Beyond her artistic endeavors, Khan is a prominent political organizer and feminist. She is a founding member of the Women Democratic Front, a socialist feminist organization, and joined the Awami Workers Party in 2012. Her activism focuses on issues such as housing rights, women's rights, and the rights of students, transgender people, peasants, and minorities. She has also contributed to academic discourse, completing a Master's degree in Pakistan Studies in 2013 and currently pursuing a Master's in Transcultural Studies at Heidelberg University. In 2022, she taught a course titled “The Aesthetics of Power/The Power of Aesthetics” at the South Asia Institute. Khan's work often intersects art and politics, using dance as a medium for social commentary and expression.