Nighat Chaodhry is a name that is indelibly linked with Kathak – in Pakistan and around the world, wherever people have had a chance to experience its magic. And, today, Nighat Chaodhry is poised to take the world along on this mystical journey and become a truly universal artiste in every sense. The exponent of Eastern mysticism and grace, Nighat Chaodhry began her journey incosmopolitan London, where her family moved from Pakistan when she was barely a year old. Growing up, dance was always a part of her life and she studied ballet and contemporary dance. Then at 16, she met Nahid Siddiqui, regarded as one of the greatest Kathak dancers, and that meeting changed the course of her life. “Inspired to learn the classical forms of my own culture, ”she abandoned ballet and studied initially from Siddiqui in Birmingham. Later, she realized that in order to understand and absorb the nuances of the style, she had to be close to its origins – and thus began the journey back East.