Tehreema Mitha

🪔 About

Tehreema Mitha is a distinguished Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, and teacher, recognized as a leading practitioner of the art form in Pakistan and a significant figure in the diaspora. Born and raised in Pakistan, she began her training in the classical South Indian dance style of Bharatanatyam at the age of seven under the tutelage of her mother, Guru Indu Mitha, who developed a unique style incorporating North Indian music. Tehreema performed her Arangetram in 1986, a period of cultural repression in Pakistan. She holds a BA in Philosophy and English Literature from Kinnaird College and an MA in Fine Arts from the National College of Arts, Lahore, which she completed in 1986. Mitha launched her full-time professional dance career in 1990, giving solo performances and full evening presentations with her company, Tehreema Aabvaan Dance Productions, which she ran in Pakistan from 1993 to 1997. During this time, she also taught dance to adults and children and produced her first contemporary dance piece in 1990. In 1997, seeking greater choreographic freedom, she moved to the United States. In 2001, she established the Tehreema Mitha Dance Company (TMDC) in Maryland, USA, a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching, producing, and presenting dance and music. Tehreema Mitha's choreographic work is notable for its blend of classical Bharatanatyam with contemporary themes, often moving away from traditional Hindu mythology to explore universal concepts of love, literature, science, and philosophy. She adheres strictly to the Kalakshetra technique in her classical pieces while incorporating North Indian music, a stylistic innovation pioneered by her mother. Her "bridging items" maintain classical form within a contemporary format, and her purely contemporary style offers freedom of movement and addresses modern life's complexities. Mitha has performed globally, including in Germany, Canada, England, Norway, India, Guatemala, Afghanistan, China, and across the US and Pakistan. She also composes and produces the music for her dances and designs costumes. In 2020, she organized a tribute performance for her mother's 90th birthday.