About the Asavari Pawar
Hailed as the Dancing Jewel of India, Asavari Pawar inherited a love for this classical art from her illustrious father, Padmashri Guru Pratap Pawar, who is regarded one of the leading exponents of the Lucknow gharana of Kathak. Asavari took to dancing from the age of 8 as part of her father’s dance troupe, Triveni in London, and has never looked back since.
While pursuing her education in London (she obtained ‘A Levels’ in English and French from St. Ann’s Convent in Ealing), she continued to blossom into a dancer of immense promise. Her production, The Coat (portraying the turmoil of emotions faced by a village girl about to leave for Britain to meet her husband there), won the first Prime Minister John Major’s Award in 1991. Since then, The Coat has been reproduced over 35 times in several countries.
Asavari Pawar returned to India and underwent three years of rigorous training with Pt. Vijay Shankar and perfected the art of the Kathak dance form, assimilating its layakari (rhythm) aspects. She also took training in classical singing under the renowned Smt. Girija Devi. Apart from Kathak she has trained in English Ballet and African Folk with Haitian Ballerina Madame Lavinia Williams. She has been an active pupil of Odissi under Late Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra & has participated in Kathak workshops by Shri Satyadev Dubey in Kolkata.
Endowed with a lissome figure and inherent grace, Asavari suffuses her recitals with a rare lyricism. Her scintillating performances enlivened with vivid facial expressions, and sustained pirouettes with vibrant footwork, establish instant rapport with spectators. A picture of youthfulness, she is like a celestial nymph or the heroine of a miniature painting come alive.
AWARDS/RECOGNITION
- Award of Achievement, Art & Culture, UK, 2009
- First Major Award from the then British Prime Minister, John Major, UK, 1991. She received the blessings of Pandit Ravi Shankar on the occasion.
- Adharshila Critics’ Award for significant contribution to Kathak, 1996
- Empanelled by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)
- DPS Society has bestowed the Award for Excellence “Role Model Teachers Award 2014” on 5th Sept 2014
- Kiran Achievement Award: Woman of Excellence, 2009
- Various grant awards from the London Borough of Hounslow, Arts Council of England, Scottish Arts Council etc.
- A grade certificate in Kathak from Doordarshan, Government of India
- Sringar Mani Award (Mumbai)
Annual Report Kalaashish – Click to view
A CULTURAL TREASURE
ASAVARI PAWAR PRESENTS SOLO, DUET & GROUP RECITALS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. HER FORTE` IS HER VERSATILITY AND PRESENTING A WIDE RANGE OF PRODUCTIONS OF HIGHEST QUALITY AT SHORT NOTICE.
Asavari Pawar has performed for various dignitaries including the Queen of England and performed for English, Scottish, West Indian, Italian, Mauritian television, BBC, Channel 4 and other satellite channels in different programs all over the world, as well as the National TV and Doordarshan.
Asavari Pawar has performed extensively in Britain, Europe, America, West Indies, Austria and South Africa; and at various prestigious venues, including the South Bank, Sadlers Wells, Commonwealth Institute (over ten shows), The Place Theatre, Victoria & Albert Museum, Shaftsbury Theatre, Westend in London and Symphony Space, Broadway, New York, Rashtrapati Bhawan, New delhi, and the list goes on and on…… She has performed, choreographed and created many diverse productions — traditional, contemporary and dramatic — in several countries.
AMAZING VERSATILITY – dancer, teacher, writer, TV anchor and art critic!
Asavari Pawar’s versatility as a dancer ranges from Classical to Folk, Bollywood to Western. She speaks Hindi, Bengali, French and English and loves to present shows in the local language of the country she’s performing in. She has performed in almost all countries across the continents.
Asavari Pawar has anchored Chitrahar and interviewed celebrities for the Afternoon Live Show on TV. She has also written several dance-drama scripts on social and cultural issues. Asavari Pawar is former cultural correspondent for South Delhi’s GK-II News Magazine and Dance Critic for The Statesman, Delhi.
While in the UK, Asavari Pawar taught Kathak at the Leicestershire School of Music (18 schools and colleges) and Brent Music Service, London. In New Delhi, has been teaching at Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram/Vasant Vihar, since 1994. Presently, she has founded ‘Kalaashish’, a society for promoting art and dance in India and abroad. Kalaashish is also dedicated to students and young dancers who learn from her at the Community Centre, Anand Lok, and perform regularly with Asavari on TV and the stage.
Asavari Pawar’s immortal achievement is her portrayal of the classical rasas and mudras in a coffee table book Nectar of Indian Culture (Text & Photographs by KUMUD MOHAN and Foreword by the Dalai Lama); India’s Dances by Mr. Reginald Massey, My Journey in Dance (Guru Pratap Pawar) by Shri Ashish Khokar.
Apart from all of the above she regularly performs for IRCEN (Indian International & Rural Cultural Society) spreading awareness of our culture amounts the youth in college and schools.
She had been invited for the Delhi University admission 2014 ECA trails and judge for dance & drama.
Asavari is dance and dance is Asavari.
