One of the top Kathak dancers of India, her life exemplifies perfection. From the fine nuances of dance to the technical detailing of film and TV direction, brilliant orator, the spectrum of her ability spreads wide and is almost unachievable.
Born a child prodigy, she was schooled in the detailed nuances of the Lucknow, Jaipur and Banaras Gharanas by her mother and guru, Asha Joglekar. Her perfection, capacity to perform intricate footwork with unbelievable ease, Abhinaya par excellence and uncanny ability to move from one character to another within the flicker of an eye has won over the pundits and critics as well as masses at home and abroad. She has won overwhelming applauses from audiences around the world. Her performance leaves a lasting impression on the mind of the viewer.
This multi-talented dancer was honored with titles Shringar Mani by Sur Singar Samsad and Nritya Bharati by Hindi Sahitya Parishad for her outstanding contribution to Kathak.She has performed extensively at all the prestigious music & dance festivals in India as well as around the world. She is the first Kathak dancer to perform at The Elephanta Festival, Mumbai and the first and perhaps the only Indian classical dancer to perform at the Reykjavik Art Festival in Iceland, besides various prestigious art festivals in India.
She has conducted lectures and demonstrations at Duke University, North Carolina and Princeton University, New Jersey. She was invited to teach Kathak during the spring semester at Princeton University for two consecutive years. She has performed at Lincoln Center by invitation from Julliards.
She is an accomplished choreographer in the field of live stage shows, feature films and television. Her choreographies have been highly acclaimed by critics. Her work ranges from traditional to contemporary - from traditional poems written by saint poets Surdas, Tulsidas, Tukaram-maharaj, Dyaneshwar and Meeratai to contemporary music.
In 2009, her work was acknowledged by New Jersey Democratic Party as she was honored by Assemblyman Upendra Chivkula among other dignitaries who have contributed to US society thru their respective fields. Archana was honored for Cultural contribution she has done to the society in the presence of Governor John Corzine.
On March 8th, 2014, Archana was honored by Marathi Vishwa New Jersey, on the occasion of International Women’s Day. On May 1st, 2014 on the occasion of Maharashtra Day, Archana was honored by Consul General of India, New York – Shri Dyaneshwar Mulye as an outstanding Maharashtrian personality in the cultural field.
Archana Tai is a well-known film actress and has featured in a number of films in Hindi as well as other Indian languages. She has won many awards such as Best Actress Award for her performance in feature films as well as on TV. Behind the camera, she is a successful writer, director and producer of TV serials. Archana is Law graduate (LLB) & Commerce Graduate (B. Com) of Bombay University.
