Kumkum Dhar

Kumkum Dhar is a Kathak dancer and dance teacher from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. She received many awards including the Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, and the Yash Bharati (2015) by the Uttar Pradesh Government and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2020) for Kathak.

Biography Kumkum Dhar is on 4 February 1956 at Lucknow , Uttar Pradesh . Later she moved to Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and trained in Kathak there under noted Kathak exponent Lachhu Maharaj of the Lucknow gharana.

Dhar completed Bachelor of Arts in 1974 and Master of Arts in 1976 from Lucknow University. She also completed sangeet visharad degree in music and also holds a Doctorate in Economics. After completing Masters in Economics, she worked for 25 years as an economist with a consultancy firm.

Career Kumkum Dhar started performing Kathak in 1972. Apart from numerous venues and dance festivals in India, Dhar has also performed several solo dance shows in countries like USA, UK, Egypt, Kuwait, Mexico, Guatemala, and Bangladesh. She is a Top-grade artist of Doordarshan, and an 'Outstanding Artist' of Indian Council for Cultural Relations.