A bit about Guru Pta. Maneesha Sathe
Maneesha Tai, as we fondly call her, was born on May 26, 1953. At birth, Tai was diagnosed with a medical condition that required her to be physically active throughout her life. At the tender age of 6, her parents took her to Pt. Balasaheb Gokhale ji, where she received her initial training in Kathak. At age of 11, Maneesha Tai moved to Mumbai, to learn under the renowned Kathak maestro, Natraj Pt. Gopi Krishna ji of Banaras Gharana. Today she is one of his most eminent disciples to officially continue and pass on his teachings and his legacy for the past 50 years.
Guru Pta. Maneesha Sathe established Maneesha Nrityalaya all the way back in 1975, at Prabhat Road in Pune, Maharashtra..
Maneesha Tai has many achievements under her belt. Her most popular work till date is her collaboration with illustrious Japanese Taiko musician Mr. Yasuhito Takimoto Sensei. Tai has played a monumental role in promoting Kathak all over the world through her own work and by grooming many dancers all over the world. Tai’s disciples themselves are now acclaimed Kathak dancers and have their own dance institutes pan India and abroad. Tai has performed in almost all parts of the world individually and also with her performing troupe.
A bit about Maneesha Nrityalaya
Established in 1975 by Guru Maneesha Pta. Maneesha Sathe, Maneesha Nrityalaya is one of the leading institutes for Kathak today. All the way back in the 70s, the scene of classical dance in Pune was colourful, nonetheless there weren’t enough ventures for dancers honing their craft locally. Recognising this and also with the aim of training students of Kathak through the Guru-Shishya Tradition, Maneesha Nrityalaya was established. Maneesha Nrityalaya provides a platform for dancers to showcase their skills and talent through competitions and Annual recitals. Ticketed classical dance shows were not a common practice back in the day, but Tai’s decision to present her students of all levels in a ‘ticketed’ annual showcase was groundbreaking. This initiative has been pioneering in spreading awareness about the effort and dedication required in this field.
Today, Maneesha Nrityalaya offers certification from Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune. The staff teachers at Maneesha Nrityalaya have all completed their Visharad/Alankar in Kathak along with Masters in Kathak. Our institute has trained and shaped countless dancers but moreover it has given the country good, honest citizens.
Tai always says, “I don’t mind if you don’t become a good Kathak dancer, but you should most definitely become a good person and a good human being first.” Under such a wise and selfless Guru’s watchful eye, every student of Maneesha Nrityalaya stands out from the crowd not only as a quality Kathak dancer but also as a kind, efficient and good human being. It is widely said that under Maneesha Tai you not only learn good Kathak, but also good manners and valuable life lessons.
7
Started with 7 students.
2839
Students have studied till date.
250
Current students practising
35
Disciples have their own classes.
Why is learning Kathak important?
Guru Pta. Maneesha Sathe established Maneesha Nrityalaya all the way back in 1975, at Prabhat Road in Pune, Maharashtra..
Maneesha Tai has many achievements under her belt. Her most popular work till date is her collaboration with illustrious Japanese Taiko musician Mr. Yasuhito Takimoto Sensei. Tai has played a monumental role in promoting Kathak all over the world through her own work and by grooming many dancers all over the world. Tai’s disciples themselves are now acclaimed Kathak dancers and have their own dance institutes pan India and abroad. Tai has performed in almost all parts of the world individually and also with her performing troupe.
Eligibility Criteria to join the Class
- Certificate Courses : The child who wishes to enroll for the class must be 8 years or above. With 50 years of teaching experience Tai has recognized that the right age to start learning classical dance is minimum 8 years because that is the stage that the mind is prepped to understand the intricacies of a classical art form. When it comes to the maximum age limit, there are no barriers because in that case age is just a number!
- Bachelors and Masters training under Tai for Kathak: Students must have at least 5 years of Kathak training. An in-person audition will be conducted for all applicants.
Testimonials by Dignitories
“मन भर आया आशा के परे, नटराज की संपूर्ण कृपा, एकाग्र चित्त से एकलव्य, शिष्य, जिसका हम सब अभिनंदन करते है, मनीषा ताई”
मन भर आया आशा के परे, नटराज की संपूर्ण कृपा, एकाग्र चित्त से एकलव्य, शिष्य, जिसका हम सब अभिनंदन करते है, मनीषा ताई | What we saw today is teamwork.You see the team work, conscious coordination, the joy and the beauty. बडे दिनो के बाद घुंगरू की आवाज सुनायी दि, वो भी इतनी बंदी हुई |
“शुभेच्छा नाही आशीर्वाद देते!”
“मनीषाचं काम मी वर्षानुवर्ष पाहत आहे, या कामामुळेच आम्ही मैत्रिणी झालो. हा जो बंध आहे तो कथक चा आहे. अनुवेध हा उत्सव आणि डिसेंबर चा उत्सव ती खूप शिस्तीत, आणि सुंदर पद्धतीने दरवर्षी करते, आणि दरवर्षी नृत्याचा स्तर वाढत जातो.”
“The two of them loved Poonam dearly, not just as their first student but more so as their daughter.”
Very honestly speaking, no one in our family was inherently into any art based careers. But just because a friend suggested, Poonam joined the dance class. Today whatever that Poonam has achieved or who she is today as an artist is all because of Maneesha Tai and Rajas Sathe ….
“मनीषा ताईंचे व्यक्तिमत्त्व, बोलण्यातील अदब, आणि त्यांनी दिलेला विश्वास ही ४९ वर्षांपूर्वी माझ्या मुलीला त्यांच्याकडे सुपूर्त करण्याची मुख्य कारणे.”
“१९७६ च्या पहिल्या वार्षिक कार्यक्रमामध्ये, माझ्या अशक्त आणि गर्दीला घाबरणाऱ्या मंजिरीने जेव्हा टिळक स्मारक मंदिरच्या रंगमंचावर नृत्य केले तेव्हा मला आनंद तर झालाच, पण मी माझ्या मुलीला योग्य व्यक्तीच्या हाती सुपूर्त केले आहे ही खात्री पटली. एखादी संस्था पन्नास वर्षे चालवणे एक वेळ सोपे असेल, परंतु ५० वर्षे संस्थेतील व्यक्तींना आपलेपणाने असे बांधून ठेवणे की प्रत्येकाला ती संस्था आपलीच आहे असे वाटावे ही अतिशय अवघड गोष्ट मनीषा ताईंनी त्यांच्या बोलण्यातून, वर्तनातून आणि नर्तनातून साध्य केली.”
“I feel truly fortunate that my daughter found her ‘gurukul’ where she is part of Maneesha Nrityalaya family because of Guru Maneesha tai – who I consider as her ‘Guru Mata’, and offer her my heartfelt pranam, for blessing my daughter with her knowledge, talent and love”
As a mother of a student who waited till she was 8 years old to join Maneesha Nrityalaya, I can today see how she has transformed into not just a good dancer, but a good human being…..
“मनीषा ताई यांचे आभार की त्यांच्या अथक प्रयत्नांमुळे माझ्या मुलीचं कलेशी अतूट नातं जोडलं गेलं आणि गुरु-शिष्याचं आदरपूर्वक नातं तिला अनुभवायला मिळालं.”
“माझी मुलगी सरीता लहान वयातच नृत्य शिकायला लागली. नृत्यामुळे तिच्या स्वभावाला अनेक पैलू जोडले गेले. डिसेंबर महिन्यात टिळक स्मारक मध्ये होणारा वार्षिक कार्यक्रम मला अजून आठवतो, ज्यामुळे तिच्यात वागण्या-बोलण्यात लालित्य आले, तिला रंगमंचाचे अवधान आले आणि मुख्य म्हणजे तिच्यातील भीती कायमची नाहीशी झाली.”
