Kathak is a glorious legacy of Avadhi culture representing the rich heritage of poetry, literature, mythology, philosophy and emotional thoughts. Kathak is unique as it blends two distinctive styles – the devotional Temple Kathak and the exotic Darbari Kathak.

Initiated and nurtured in the temples Kathak evolved as story telling form used as a medium for communication with the Almighty. Muslim cultural ethos transformed Kathak with elaborate costumes and Persian influences into a medium for entertainment. The Lucknow school of Kathak is famous for its delicate nuances of expressiveness with alluring grace in movements and unique expressions to the accompaniment of lilting poetry sung as thumri, ghazal and holi.

The Indian concept of Nirvana is similar to the Sufi thought of Fana and the concept of merging of individual souls with the universal soul is common amongst both the Hindu mystics and the Sufi's. Raas Lila tradition of Kathak is based on the divine love of Radha and Lord Krishna, which symbolizes the torment of separation and ecstasy of union of Man from God. Manjari incorporates the mystique of Sufism through the dance of the moving meditation.

'In Sufi Kathak, the concept of the beauty of the image-less Beloved becomes the guiding factor for me. The image becomes the act itself, the creative form. The state of love finds an image in the Beloved...the image acquires dimension...dimensions acquire reality. Human body outlives its form and the surrender becomes dance.'

Sufi Kathak draws inspiration from sensitive expressions of the poetry by Sufi saints of the subcontinent. These expressions have their own maze of thoughts and interpretation of music, poetry and surrender which are portrayed by Manjari through her dance.

'My dance form spans from earthly romance of Hindi folk to the evolved Sufi imagery of love in Persian poetry depicting a beloved in flesh and blood to the abstract presence of the Almighty, from a form to formlessness.'

The Sufi spiritual thoughts universalize the beloved into the creator- the eternal lover, breaking manmade boundaries of caste, religion and nation through poetry, music and dance, creating a universal communication.

Sufi Kathak brings out the nuances of Sufi music through the language of the body in order to enthrall the audience into Sufi ambiance. The dance gradually becomes ecstatic...the synchronization of movements with music...the beats are joined with clapping of hands...in praise of the Beauty of the Soul ...the form. Making it the dance of the soul...of the one enflamed with love and longing, enamored with the desire to approach the God and be consumed in His Glory...one who lost herself in union with Him...