Anita Pandey is a Toronto-based Kathak dancer. She has received advanced training in Kathak under Guru Urmila Sharma in India and mentor Tanveer Alam in Toronto whom she continues to expand her movement vocabulary under.

As a dance artist, Anita recently toured five cities in Canada with the Kathak production Khoj (Usha GuptaDance Ensemble, 2023).

To highlight a few of many solo performances, Anita has danced at Festival Du Monde Arabe (Rialto Theatre, Montreal, 2021); Festival Orientalys (Old Port, Montreal, 2020/2021); Rath Yatra (Iskon, Montreal 2022/2023); Nex-Gen Multi-Arts Festival (Le Gesù: Le Centre de Créativité, Montreal, 2021); Natyanjali Festival (Param Nrithyalaya, Montreal, 2019/2023); ArtAsia lecture/demo (Le PROMIS, Montreal, 2023); Handia Mati Kathak Mahautsav (Allahabad Kathak Kendra, India, 2018); and Ek Shyam Shaheedon ke Naam (India, 2017); Collective Shivratri (Toronto, 2023).

Anita also has experience dancing as part of a Kathak trio at Sampradaya Dance Theatre, Mississauga, during their Family Day programming in 2022 as part of Tanveer Alam’s group, and again in 2023 presenting Alam’s choreographic work at Nrithya Sandhya.

As an emerging choreographer, Anita has conceived/created and danced in independent dance works such as Shuddh Nritta (2019, McGill University Ballroom) in collaboration with UK-based tabla artist, Hiren Chate and A Kathaka Sings Opera (2018, Studio 303, Montreal) fusing her Operatic and Kathak training. Anita choreographed and performed Kathak segments in the Opera production Savitri (Opera McGill, Schulich School of Music, 2018); Operetta Iolanthe (McGill, Savoy Society, 2018), and a disco-funk production Apo Theose (Café Campus, Les Productions French Touch, Montreal, 2019). In 2020, during the Covid-19 lockdown, Anita co-created her first independent dance video with dancer Palak Dhiman, telling the story of the pandemic through dance. Currently, Anita is developing a new dance work, Astitva, with dancer Gouri Kundu.

Notably, Anita placed first in the Sangeet Natak Akademi state level competition in Uttar Pradesh. She was honoured with a plaque from the India-Canada Association of Montreal, as well as with a trophy from the Handia Mati Mahautsav in Allahabad.

Devoted to dance education, Anita has lectured on Kathak at McGill University, Cammac Music Centre, PROMIS etc. She is also a Kathak instructor with Dance N’ Culture Inc. Her core role as a teacher is at her self-founded school: Anita Dance and Music Academy where Anita teaches, as well as choreographs Kathak pieces and designs costumes for her students’ group and solo performances at various festivals in Canada.

Anita is validated by the Canada Art Council and aims to increase the visibility of the Indian classical dance form in the west.