vinita venugopal
Vinita Venugopal is a Kathak dancer, actor, and researcher from India. A senior disciple of Vidushi Uma Dogra, she received her initial training under the late Guru Ganesh Hiralal Hasal and Guru Mulla Afsar Khan.
Vinita holds a Master of Performing Arts (Kathak) degree from Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya, Mumbai University. Her dissertation, Beyond Rāsa – An Exploration of Alternate Themes and Stories in Kathak, was noted for its originality and critical insight. In 2023, she was conferred the title Nritya Nipuna by the Nalanda Dance Research Centre.
An engineer with an MBA in Marketing and Communications, Vinita previously worked in academia and the corporate sector, including as a Research Associate at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. A published author in leading academic journals, Vinita continues to freelance as a researcher and is committed to deepening her academic inquiry into the arts.
She also holds a Diploma in Acting from The Jeff Goldberg Studio, Mumbai, and works across stage and screen alongside her dance practice. Vinita has performed widely across India and abroad, including at prestigious festivals and as part of international delegations. She also imparts Guru Uma Dogra’s distinct style of Kathak to a select group of students.
abstract
The Kathak Dilution
Poster
Kathak is experiencing unprecedented visibility through social media and Bollywood. The form’s upright posture (more approachable and beginner-friendly than the aramandi, chowk, or tribhanga of other classical styles), its naturalistic abhinaya, and limited reliance on mudras make it easily adaptable and widely imitated in short-form digital content. Its signature chakkars act as striking “visual hooks,” favoured by Instagram’s algorithm. With cinematic representations and social media aesthetics becoming dominant references, this research explores how such visibility influences public perception, pedagogical focus, and artistic priorities, and its implications on the transmission, rigour, and representational integrity of the art form.