Sunayana Hazarilal & Natawari School of Kathak

nd rare tradition of Banaras. But she faced all opposition from society and family with courage. She is perhaps the only surviving performer of Banaras Gharana of Kathak founded by Pt. Jankiprasadji. An Honors graduate from Poona University, she strived hard and devoted her life to the promotion and propagation of this rare and old style, which was near extinction because all the exponents of this style were either dead or migrated to Pakistan. She learnt Kathak from Guru Pandit Hazarilal, great and foremost student of Nritya Samrat Ashaque Hussain. By the intensity of her Abhinaya and technical virtuosity of her art she has created a niche for herself in the field of Kathak. Sunayana has given innumerable dance recitals for various Sangeet Sabhas, Music & Dance Festivals, Charitable Institutes and Sangeet Natak Academies all over India. She received grant from The Department of Culture, Ministry of Education for several years to revive and present old and rare compositions of Banaras Gharana. She has also received grant from the Sangeet Natak Akademi to document compositions of Pandit Hazarilal. She has performed all over UK, and European countries like France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Finland, USA,
Canada, Kuwait, Oman, Syria, Doha (Qatar) and Bahrain several times during her 27 tours abroad since 1974. She has participated in various International Music and Dance Festivals like The Sanskritk Festival in 1974 in England, The Florence Festival in Italy, 1981, International Conference of Jeunesses Musicales at Liege, Belgium 1981. The World Peace Conference, Oslo (Norway) in 1986, Festival of India in Switzerland in 1987, The International Rhythm Festival, Oslo (Norway) in 1988. She participated in the celebrations of India’s 50th year of Independence in France, Belgium, and Switzerland in December 1997. She was sent for performance tour of Latin American countries – including Brazil, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Chile in September/October 2002 where she gave 17 performances which were highly acclaimed by public and press alike. Recently she performed at the Khajuraho Festival in February 2006 and also toured the whole of Madhya Pradesh for S**c Macay giving several lecture demonstrations. In September 2006 she performed at the International Festival of Kathak Dance - Kathak at Cross Roads in San Francisco organized by the late Pandit Chitresh Das. She has also participated in the Kathak Festival organised by Kathak Kendra Delhi on 2007. She has opened a branch of Natawari (Janki Prasad school of Kathak) in Hong Kong to create awareness among the Indians about our cultural heritage. Recently in April 2015, she went to Hong Kong to conduct workshops and examination, as well give lecture demonstrations.