About Sanchita Abrol

Sanchita Abrol is globally celebrated as a Kathak virtuoso, cultural entrepreneur, public policy expert, and a Creative Arts Therapist - specializing in Dance Movement Therapy.

She is an internationally renowned Kathak (Indian classical dance) Guru, choreographer, and performer. As a celebrated artist, Sanchita has scripted and directed many critically acclaimed dance productions and has performed in theatres across the world. Her exquisite dance interpretations of literary pieces and co-creation of culturally inclusive theatrical spaces are widely recognised. Her work beautifully intertwines dance with regional literature, contemporary narratives, and storytelling.

Trained under the legendary Padma Shri Guru Shovana Narayan, Sanchita’s performances span continents—Oceania, Europe, Africa, and Asia—gracing prestigious stages like the Commonwealth Games India, SAARC, The United Nations, The Parliament of Australia, and India earning her numerous accolades.

 

Sanchita has pioneered world‑first research in Dogri language and Indian classical dance interpretations, becoming the first artist to present Dogri literature through Kathak on stage. Her extensive work in Dogri has led to major dance productions and a documentary on Duggar culture, with acclaimed works such as Utarbehni: Mystic River, Mystic Poetess, Ghar, Prem ki Gaagar – The heart always finds its home in love, and Pryutsu (The Yoddha) – Adorning with Pride, An Ode to Our Warriors. These productions, featuring the first-ever amalgamation of Dogri, English, and Hindi literature, have been honoured with the prestigious Prem Jamwal Art Innovation Award. She also directed and choreographed the first Kathak dance videos on Dogri ghazals, “Aayi Khushboo” and “Rasam Riwaz”. 

 

She has collaborated with eminent poets including Padma Shri Padma Sachdeva, Padma Shri Dr. Shyam Singh Shashi, and Farhat Shahzad, featuring in the globally released album Dekho Toh. Her work further includes a Punjabi Sufi folk tribute to Ustad Hussain Baksh Sahab, released under Pehchan Music. 

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A paragon of artistic excellence, Sanchita is celebrated for her exquisite interpretations of literary works across cultures, earning recognition as “India’s Dancing Queen” for her ability to translate ancient texts through movement. She has curated, scripted, directed, and choreographed numerous critically acclaimed productions, building a repertoire of over 200 performances through national and international collaborations. Her multidisciplinary, cross‑art‑form approach is widely regarded for its exceptional quality, inclusivity, and cultural depth. 

She is the Artistic Director of Sanchita Abrol Dance Creations and Australia’s largest Kathak festival - Melbourne Kathak Festival. Through the Melbourne Kathak Festival, she envisions the preservation and presentation of traditional arts and culture and reimagining them through multimodal artistic co-creation.

Sanchita is the Founder of Kathaprana – The South Asian Centre for Creative Arts Therapies Australia. As the Founder, Sanchita advocates inclusion of South Asian modalities and frameworks in existing creative arts therapy approaches to facilitate a culturally appropriate mental health model for the CALD community in Australia.

Currently Sanchita is also associated with the Faculty of Creative Arts Therapy at the University of Melbourne. Sanchita believes that the arts are not an extracurricular luxury, but a vital language of learning. For her, Indian classical dance is more than performance—it’s pedagogy, healing, and cultural continuity. She champions arts in education to nurture empathy, creativity, and resilience in young minds.

She is celebrated for pioneering Nātya Cards, a research-driven educational and wellbeing tool rooted in ancient Indian wisdom. As Australia’s sole Indian classical dancer who is also a cultural policy advocate, and Creative Arts Therapist, her advocacy integrates arts into education, health, and diplomacy, leaving a transformative global legacy, inspiring generations, and shaping the future of the arts in India and Australia.

By participating in culture and being exposed to different forms of art, Sanchita has broaden her ways in which she can express herself. Sanchita is the first Indian classical art and culture columnist in Australia, writing regularly for G’day India. She believes that, "by way we infuse the arts and culture into a community is cultural development of any society. One such way is to educate people and make them aware about the benefits of arts, through the power of media. After all, 'Arts is a public good' and promoting diversity of cultural expression in arts in Australia, will assist in creating more platforms for artists from CALD communities."

Recently, Sanchita represented Kathak in Monash University’s landmark exhibition, “The Place of Indian Music & Dance in Australia”—a powerful tribute to over a century of Indian-Australian artistic exchange. Her personal artefacts—costumes, jewellery, and ankle bells—offer a glimpse into a life dedicated to art, tradition, and cross-cultural dialogue. With this, Sanchita becomes the first Kathak dancer in Australia to have her artefacts formally archived in a public exhibition.

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