Reba Vidyarthi

🪔 About

Reba Vidyarthi was a distinguished Indian classical dancer and Kathak guru, born in 1929 in Ajmer, Rajasthan. She received her initial training in Kathak from Pandit Achhan Maharaj of the Lucknow Gharana. Later, she continued her studies under Pandit Shambhu Maharaj at Bharatiya Kala Kendra in Delhi. While pursuing a Teachers' Training Diploma from Nritya Bharati, Kolkata, she also explored other forms of classical dance. Vidyarthi dedicated her entire career to the training of young students at Kathak Kendra, Delhi, where she served for over three decades before her retirement in 1990. She holds a unique place in the history of Kathak post-1947 as the first non-Gharana lady teacher at the Kathak Kendra – National Institute of Kathak dance in New Delhi. Her significant contributions included developing a systematic course of training in Kathak and successfully experimenting with methodologies for imparting dance training to physically challenged children. Her expertise lay in teaching young children and establishing the foundational grammar of North Indian Classical dance. Reba Vidyarthi was married to Govind Vidyarthi, who was the Director of Kathak and an expert in cataloguing and archiving vanishing performing arts for the Sangeet Natak Akademi. She passed away on February 10th, 2011. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1991).