The legacy

Maneesha Abhay

Founder, Artistic director.

Maneesha Abhay, a senior disciple of Pt. Guru Rohini Bhate established Sukruti in 1989; with a sheer motive of spreading awareness and education of the dance form - Kathak.

Having completed her initial learning with Guru Jafar Mulla, Maneesha flourished as a kathak dancer under the able guidance of Guru Rohini Bhate and went on to persuing Masters in 2002.

Through Sukruti, she aims at providing authentic, quality education and hopes to pave a path for future artists.

With her choreographic vision and design sense, she desires to take ahead the tradition & legacy of her Guru, and curate contemporary subjects relevant to todays times.

It is only due to her vision and effort that Sukruti has grown into such a huge family of dance learners, teachers and rasikas.

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Siddhi Abhay

Creative head, associate director.

The legacy continues with Siddhi Abhay, daughter and disciple of Smt. Maneesha Abhay taking it forward. An institution having laid its roots in Kothrud in 1989 has now flourished into 5 offline branches and online ventures as well. “The idea is to keep the sanctity of Kathak intact while reaching out to more people”, says Siddhi.

Having recently completed her masters degree in Kathak, she aspires for Sukruti to be an educational hub providing quality education in Kathak while also incorporating interactive teaching techniques for holistic development.

Her artistic vision involves developing new concepts using the traditional vocabulary but in a contemporary format. With a keen interest in choreography, Siddhi looks forward to showcasing dynamic, interesting and inclusive work through her medium - Dance.

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Our team

As much as an institution requires a leader, it also requires an efficient team. At Sukruti, we value our team members and the unique qualities that they bring in to contribute and move ahead in this journey.

Kalyani Kulkarni

Kalyani heads the Warje and Bavdhan branches of Sukruti, and is also one of the promising performers of the academy. She has recently completed her Masters degree in Kathak and aims to dedicate her time and effort to Kathak.

Vinaya Mahesh

Vinaya is one of Maneesha tai's oldest student. She is now associated with Sukruti as a teacher, and heads her own branch in Bhugaon.

Supriya Ketkar

Supriya, is a teacher at Pashan branch of Sukruti and leads over 30 students. She aims to be associated with Sukruti for the coming years.

Madhura Oka

Madhura, a teacher by heart, has been essential in nurturing the essence of classical dance in young minds. She engages with students and is involved in the acdemy's routine work as well.