The Most Famous

DANCERS from India

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This page contains a list of the greatest Indian Dancers. The pantheon dataset contains 116 Dancers, 7 of which were born in India. This makes India the birth place of the 5th most number of Dancers behind France, and Italy.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Indian Dancers of all time. This list of famous Indian Dancers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Indian Dancers.

Photo of Birju Maharaj

1. Birju Maharaj (1937 - 2022)

With an HPI of 54.23, Birju Maharaj is the most famous Indian Dancer.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages on wikipedia.

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. Birju Maharaj was a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honor, in 1986.

Photo of Mrinalini Sarabhai

2. Mrinalini Sarabhai (1918 - 2016)

With an HPI of 49.75, Mrinalini Sarabhai is the 2nd most famous Indian Dancer.  Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Mrinalini Vikram Sarabhai (11 May 1918 – 21 January 2016) was an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and instructor. She was the founder and director of the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, an institute for imparting training in dance, drama, music and puppetry, in the city of Ahmedabad. She received Padma Bhushan in 1992 and Padma Shri in 1965. She also received many other citations in recognition of her contribution to art.

Photo of Rukmini Devi Arundale

3. Rukmini Devi Arundale (1904 - 1986)

With an HPI of 47.63, Rukmini Devi Arundale is the 3rd most famous Indian Dancer.  Her biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Rukmini Devi Arundale (née Sastri; 29 February 1904 – 24 February 1986) was an Indian theosophist, dancer and choreographer of the Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam, and an activist for animal welfare. She was the first woman in Indian history to be nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India. The most important revivalist of Bharatanatyam from its original 'sadhir' style prevalent amongst the temple dancers, the Devadasis, she also worked for the re-establishment of traditional Indian arts and crafts. She espoused the cause of Bharata Natyam which was considered a vulgar art form in the early 1920s. Recognising its beauty and value, she not only learned the dance, but also presented it on stage despite strong public protests. Rukmini Devi features in India Today's list of '100 People Who Shaped India'. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1956, and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 1967.

Photo of Yamini Krishnamurthy

4. Yamini Krishnamurthy (1940 - 2024)

With an HPI of 46.92, Yamini Krishnamurthy is the 4th most famous Indian Dancer.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Mungara Yamini Krishnamurthy (20 December 1940 – 3 August 2024) was an Indian classical dancer recognized for her contributions to Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. She was a recipient of the Padma Shri (1968), Padma Bhushan (2001), Padma Vibhushan (2016) and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1977).

Photo of Balasaraswati

5. Balasaraswati (1918 - 1984)

With an HPI of 46.73, Balasaraswati is the 5th most famous Indian Dancer.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Tanjore Balasaraswati, also known as Balasaraswati (13 May 1918 – 9 February 1984), was an Indian dancer, and her rendering of Bharatanatyam, a classical dance style originated in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, made this style of dancing well known in different parts of India and many parts of the world. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1957 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1977, the third and the second highest civilian honours given by the Government of India. In 1973, she was awarded the Sangeetha Kalanidhi by the Madras Music Academy. In 1981 she was awarded the Sangeetha Kalasikhamani award of The Indian Fine Arts Society, Chennai.

Photo of Sonal Mansingh

6. Sonal Mansingh (b. 1944)

With an HPI of 44.63, Sonal Mansingh is the 6th most famous Indian Dancer.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Sonal Mansingh (born 30 April 1944) is an Indian classical dancer and Guru in Bharatanatyam and Odissi dancing style. She has been nominated by the President of India to become a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. She is the recipient of Padma Bhushan in 1992 and Padma Vibhushan in 2003.

Photo of Saroj Khan

7. Saroj Khan (1948 - 2020)

With an HPI of 43.59, Saroj Khan is the 7th most famous Indian Dancer.  Her biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Saroj Khan (born Nirmala Nagpal; 22 November 1948 – 3 July 2020) was an Indian dance choreographer in Hindi cinema. She was born in Bombay State (present day Maharashtra), India. She was best known for the dance form mujra and the first woman choreographer in Bollywood. With a career spanning over forty years, she choreographed more than 3000 songs. She died on 3 July 2020 of a sudden cardiac arrest.

Photo of Padma Subrahmanyam

8. Padma Subrahmanyam (b. 1943)

With an HPI of 40.82, Padma Subrahmanyam is the 8th most famous Indian Dancer.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Padma Subrahmanyam (born 4 February 1943, in Madras), is an Indian classical Bharata Natyam dancer. She is also a research scholar, choreographer, teacher, Indologist and author. She is famous in India as well as abroad; several films and documentaries have been made in her honor by countries such as Japan, Australia and Russia. She is well known as the developer and founder of the dance form Bharata Nrithyam.

Photo of Kapila Vatsyayan

9. Kapila Vatsyayan (1928 - 2020)

With an HPI of 39.55, Kapila Vatsyayan is the 9th most famous Indian Dancer.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Kapila Vatsyayan (25 December 1928 – 16 September 2020) was a leading scholar of Indian classical dance, art, architecture, and art history. She served as a member of parliament and bureaucrat in India, and also served as the founding director of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. In 1970, Vatsyayan received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, the highest honour conferred by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's national academy for music, dance and drama; this was followed by the Lalit Kala Akademi Fellowship, the highest honour in the fine arts conferred by Lalit Kala Akademi, India's national academy for fine arts in 1995. In 2011, the Government of India bestowed upon her the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour.

Photo of Geeta Kapur

10. Geeta Kapur (b. 1973)

With an HPI of 26.45, Geeta Kapur is the 10th most famous Indian Dancer.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Geeta Kapur (born 5 July 1973) is an Indian choreographer and television personality. She recently judged India's Best Dancer, a dance reality show on Sony TV, along with actress Sonali Bendre and choreographer Terence Lewis.

People

Pantheon has 11 people classified as Indian dancers born between 1904 and 1975. Of these 11, 4 (36.36%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Indian dancers include Sonal Mansingh, Padma Subrahmanyam, and Geeta Kapur. The most famous deceased Indian dancers include Birju Maharaj, Mrinalini Sarabhai, and Rukmini Devi Arundale. As of April 2024, 4 new Indian dancers have been added to Pantheon including Padma Subrahmanyam, Kapila Vatsyayan, and Geeta Kapur.

Living Indian Dancers

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Deceased Indian Dancers

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Newly Added Indian Dancers (2024)

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Overlapping Lives

Which Dancers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 7 most globally memorable Dancers since 1700.