DANCER

Birju Maharaj

1937 - 2022

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Pandit Birju Maharaj (born Brijmohan Nath Mishra; 4 February 1938 – 17 January 2022) was an Indian dancer, composer, singer, and exponent of the Lucknow "Kalka-Bindadin" Gharana of Kathak dance in India. He was a descendant of the Maharaj family of Kathak dancers, which includes his two uncles, Shambhu Maharaj and Lachhu Maharaj, and his father and guru, Acchan Maharaj. He also practised Hindustani classical music and was a vocalist. After working along with his uncle, Shambhu Maharaj at Bhartiya Kala Kendra, later the Kathak Kendra, New Delhi, he remained head of the latter, for several years, until his retirement in 1998 when he opened his own dance school, Kalashram, also in Delhi. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Birju Maharaj is the 83rd most popular dancer (down from 45th in 2019), the 733rd most popular biography from India (down from 331st in 2019) and the most popular Indian Dancer.

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Among DANCERS

Among dancers, Birju Maharaj ranks 83 out of 116. Before him are Kenneth MacMillan, Birgit Cullberg, Frankie Manning, Natalia Dudinskaya, Joaquín Cortés, and Avdotia Istomina. After him are Katherine Dunham, Yvonne Rainer, Doris Humphrey, Rukmini Devi Arundale, Hryhorii Chapkis, and Dušanka Sifnios.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1937, Birju Maharaj ranks 426. Before him are Héctor Facundo, Chad Everett, Romano Sgheiz, Pierluigi Chicca, Giorgi Shengelaia, and Walter Graf. After him are Tore Eriksson, Anatoly Karatsuba, German Sveshnikov, Francesco Janich, Gennadi Gusarov, and Alfredo Rojas. Among people deceased in 2022, Birju Maharaj ranks 458. Before him are Angélica Gorodischer, Walter Schröder, Ilinka Mitreva, Davide Rebellin, Norman Mineta, and Anton Donchev. After him are Betty Davis, Hebe de Bonafini, Mickey Kuhn, Robert Blust, Thue Christiansen, and Nils Arne Eggen.

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In India

Among people born in India, Birju Maharaj ranks 733 out of 1,861. Before him are Randhir Kapoor (1947), Anil Ambani (1959), Tim Severin (1940), Krishna Prasad Bhattarai (1924), Saeed Jaffrey (1929), and Alivardi Khan (1671). After him are Bano Qudsia (1928), Venkaiah Naidu (1949), Trisha (1983), Mayawati (1956), M. M. Keeravani (1961), and Amala Akkineni (1967).

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Among DANCERS In India

Among dancers born in India, Birju Maharaj ranks 1. After him are Rukmini Devi Arundale (1904), Yamini Krishnamurthy (1940), Mrinalini Sarabhai (1918), Balasaraswati (1918), Sonal Mansingh (1944), Kapila Vatsyayan (1928), Padma Subrahmanyam (1943), Saroj Khan (1948), Geeta Kapur (1973), and Vaibhavi Merchant (1975).

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