Roshan Kumari and Shovana Narayan are well-known artists of which dance form?

Explanation

Roshan Kumari and Shovana Narayan are two of the best-known Kathak dancers of India.

Roshan Kumari (born 1932) is an exponent of the Jaipur gharana of Kathak. She is the daughter of the famous singer Zohrabai Ambalewali and trained under masters such as Pandit Sunder Prasad of the Jaipur gharana. She is known for her powerful footwork, fast spins and strong rhythmic sense, typical of the Jaipur style. She appeared in famous film dance sequences, such as in Satyajit Ray's "Jalsaghar" (1958), and set up a dance institution in Mumbai to train students. She received the Padma Shri in 1984.

Shovana Narayan (born 1950) is a Kathak dancer, choreographer and writer based in Delhi. She trained under Pandit Birju Maharaj and others. She is unusual because she combined her career as a dancer with a career as a civil servant in the Indian Audit and Accounts Service. She has created many new works that combine Kathak with other dance forms and with themes from history, literature and modern life, and she has written several books on Kathak. She founded the Asavari Centre in Delhi. She received the Padma Shri in 1992.

Kathak is the classical dance of North India. It has four main gharanas: Lucknow (known for grace and expression), Jaipur (known for powerful footwork), Banaras and Raigarh. Other famous Kathak dancers include Pandit Birju Maharaj, Sitara Devi, Kumudini Lakhia, Uma Sharma, Shambhu Maharaj and Aditi Mangaldas.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Bharatanatyam is associated with dancers such as Rukmini Devi Arundale and Alarmel Valli.
• ✗Kuchipudi is associated with dancers such as Vempati Chinna Satyam and Raja and Radha Reddy.
• ✗Odissi is associated with dancers such as Kelucharan Mohapatra and Sonal Mansingh.