Kathak Queen Jayantimala Mishra known as Urvashi is petite, dynamic and vibrant. She was born in Banaras, in the musical family that proudly stands as the founders of Banaras Gharana, Acharya Pandit Sukhdev Maharaj. Jayantimala is the tenth generation of the Banaras Gharana. She commands her position as the top exponent of kathak Dancer of Banaras and Lucknow Gharana of Uttar Pradesh. The doyen among the kathak Dancer, Jayantimala is the torch bearer of the two Gharanas. She is the daughter of Smt. Sitara Devi and niece of Acharya Chowbey Maharaj, her guru and father-figure who not only nurtured her but also made her who she is today. Carrying forward the legacy of family traditions she has notably spent more than half a century fulfilling her duties, enriching the tradition and making outstanding contributions in the field of kathak. At the age of 2 and  1/2 years she gave her first performance on the stage as a kathak Dancer under the guidance of Sukhdev Maharaj. She learnt this beautiful dance form under Tara Devi ji and Sitara Devi ji. Under the watchful gaze of Tabla Maestro Allah Rakha Khansahab, she learnt the precise dance, Sachin Shanker (cousin and disciple of the esteemed India dancer Uday Shanker). She also had the honour of being trained by Chowbey Maharaj which elevated her to the status of most talent artist. Throughout her career, she has performed with several Tabla legends like Allah Rakha khan Sahab, Zakir Hussain, Pandit Kishan Maharaj, Pandit Shantah Prasad and Latif Ahmed. She has also worked with maestros like Shafaat Ahmed Khan Sahab, Kumar Lal ji, Fazal Qureshi, Taufiq Qureshi, Kumar Bose, Kalinath Mishra and Lachhu Maharaj. She is the chairwoman of dance institute, “KALA KRITI KENDRA”. Recognising her dedication and hard work in the field of Classical Dance Kathak, the Government of India and other musical conferences in association with GOI have honoured her with Great Awards.

Some of them being: 

1.         SINGARMANI AWARD -by. Sur Singar Samad , Bombay.

2.         NATYA NARTIKI AWARD by Maharan Kumbh Sangeet Sammelan, Udaipur.

3.         NRITYA VIlAS AWARD -Haridas Sammelan, Bombay.

4.         SWAMI HARIDAS AWARD -by Tansan Sammelan , Gwalior.

5.         URVASHI AWARD -by Maharashtra Government, Bombay.

6.         SANGEET DEVI AWARD -by Ravindra Natya Sammelan, Calcutta.

7.         KATHAK QUEEN AWARD -by State Finance & Parliamentary Minister, New Delhi 20 .01.94 .

8.         BHARAT NIRMAN AWARD -Calcutta 28.01.95.

9.         Senior fellowship by Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and culture,   Department of Culture for her research on Sukhdev Maharaj. Banaras Gharana.

10.   She is also the Doordarshan Top Rank Artist

She has also toured Hongkong, Fiji Islands, East Africa, U.S.A. , U .K ., Mauritius, Japan and many Gulf countries. She has mastered Kathak Dance in all its aspects- mythological temple style as well as the Mugal style- Darbari Nritya. Some of her performances include- Ekaki Nritya Natika, Sampoorna Ramayana, Geeta Updesh, Om Namah Shivaya, Shiv Puraan, Gayatri Mantra Mahimna, Namo Durga Saptapadi, Vishnu Puran Mahima. She has directed for Indian television-Krishna Leela Dance and Menka dance ballet. She has also directed as well as acted in shows like Sushma Vallari (Shiv Shakti), Aamarapali, Om Namah Shivay, Maa. Her contribution to Bollywood has been through films like- Pyar Deewana Hota Hai, Pyar bhara Dil, Badhai ho Badhai, Chali aaj Desva ki Aur, Great Amarpali and Vasant sena. She is truly a STAR in KAHTAK DANCE.

Jayantimala is very versatile in Abhinaya and Laykari. The clarity of her mudras and hand movements are excellent. Her Kahtak dance traditions like pure chakkaras are very clear cut and neat. She is very graceful dancer. She combines both traditions and modernity in her presentations as she believes that enrichment so any is a dynamic process in which purity and innovation need not be mutually exclusive. She has given breathtaking performances along with workshops in every part of the workshop in every part of the world for which she will be remembered forever.  

Award council of India is pleased to announced JAYANTIMALA MISHRA’S name in our award portal as a winner of “NRITYA GAURAV” Award for promoting Art and Culture through Kathak Dance in all over the World. Award council of India congratulate JAYANTIMALA MISHRA JI for this achievement.