Born into a family of artists, Vishal started dancing Kathak at a very young age, and dedicated his life to carrying forward his family’s traditional legacy.

Vishal Krishna Mishra is a Kathak dancer and teacher. He has been teaching Kathak students for several years.

Vishal is from Varanasi. He belongs to the famous Banaras Gharana of Kathak.

Vishal says that he started learning Kathak from his paternal grandmother Sitara Devi at the age of three and a half, and thereafter, he learned from his father, Mohan Krishna. He says that he was inclined towards dance from his childhood as the atmosphere of his house had always been that of dance, and so he did not have any problem learning the art. He started pursuing dance as his professional career alongside doing his studies.

Sharing his journey, Vishal says that he started performing on stage at a very young age. He played the role of Krishna in many of his shows. He received a lot of love and appreciation from his audience.

Speaking about his achievements, Vishal says that he was conferred with Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puruskar. He received the Pandit Birju Maharaj Sangeet Samridhi Samman, the Kala Vibhusan Samman, and the Shringar Mani Award, and he is also the youngest awardee of the Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. He credits his gurus, his parents, and his audience for the success that he has achieved.

Sharing about his mistakes, Vishal says that mistakes are bound to happen and feels that how will a person learn if he never stumbles. He advises youngsters who want to learn a classical art form not to take any shortcuts through social media classes and instead try to patiently learn under the guidance of a guru.

When asked about his role models, Vishal says that his paternal grandmother, his father, his uncle, and then Pandit Birju Maharaj have been his inspirations throughout his entire dance journey, and he has learned a lot from them in his personal life too.

In his spare time, he likes to listen to music and is also fond of watching movies, especially horror and historical movies.

Vishal says he finds satisfaction in practicing his dance, and teaching his students gives him peace of mind.

Vishal’s life mantra is to carry forward and contribute towards his family's tradition. He feels blessed to be born into a family full of such great artists and to be trained by them.