Tehreema Mitha: 35 Years of Amazing Experiences in Classical & Contemporary Dance

Though training under her Guru/mother since the age of seven, she gave her debut public solo performance in 1986 under the dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq. Hampered by a British Colonial Law still on the books that banned “dance or other obscenities” she had to seek what was considered non-Pakistani soil for performances, appealing to foreign cultural consulates and embassies; a matter of great embarrassment for her.

From the very beginning of her performing career she moved away from the traditional Hindu mythology repertoire in Bharatanatyam and introduced her own subject matter which brought forth her Feministic view points, The Climate Crises and established her dance as a social commentary on topics such as on Honor Killings, the Sufic approach to independent thought, the potential for duality that exists in each person’s nature, scientific theories etc etc .

Some of these topics were staged in her contemporary style, a style that has been well ahead of its time.
In 1992 Ms. Mitha produced her first ensemble dance with dancers that she had trained from scratch. It was based on The Chaos Theory, a mathematical theory that affected much of the philosophical and scientific thought in the 20th century. This, along with many other subjects she brought up, made her an artist who the state governed media, as well as the privatized media, did not want to touch as the topics were considered controversial and sensitive.

While there are thousands of Indian dancers within that country and in the diaspora, none have broken away in their classical style coming out with a bold new presentation as Tehreema Mitha has done. Ms. Mitha’s classical dances keep up a high standard of athletic technique but imbue it with Contemporary issues and stories while tying the innovative especially composed North Indian music tightly to each step and movement. She is the only choreographer in the world presenting this style.

Along with the above she has pioneered a contemporary style that stands out starkly from western dance as in the technique which remains tied to the Earth, in its story telling aspect and its intricate often complex rhythmic patterns and music.

With more than 60 original dances, both solo and ensemble, Ms. Mitha’s archives show a huge range of topics, diversity of approach and entertainment within a framework of her own making. Ms. Mitha is the artistic director of Tehreema Mitha Dance Company registered in Maryland USA since 2001. She is also the subject of 3 documentaries “And She Dances On…” “The Vigil” and “Pushpanjali”and several research papers by professors in the US and Canada.

She has performed in China, Guatemala, Norway, Germany, Canada, India, The United Kingdom, The US and Pakistan. 

There is, indeed, no other choreographer quite like Tehreema Mitha. And most certainly none other that is a Muslim Female choreographer/dancer/composer with a such a vast and unique repertoire.