Nighat Chaudhry (Urdu: نگہت چودھری)[1] is a Kathak classical dancer who was born on 24 February 1959, in Lahore, Pakistan.

[2] She studied ballet and contemporary dance; but when she was 14, she met Nahid Siddiqui, one of the greatest Kathak dancers, and began training with her.

In order to understand and absorb the nuances of the Indian style, she wished to be closer to its origins; and she moved back to Pakistan.

Her grandfather from her maternal side owned a renowned business by the name of Chaudhry Hosiery Mills before partition in Dacca, Ludhiana, Lahore, and Faisalabad, while her father Abdur-Rehman Chaudhry was a professor who taught mathematics at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad, eventually moving on to becoming a professor at Government College University.

She choreographed and danced, in Larkana, in a ballet evoking the life of the late Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, on the anniversary of his death, and gained tremendous recognition for her outstanding talent.

In 2013, she performed for PC (Pearl-Continental Hotels & Resorts)[10] events in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar, for the promotion of classical dance in Pakistan.

She also performed at Gala Evening Pakistan Chest Society, with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, IBEX Club Lake View,[citation needed] Islamabad.

In 2014, she performed in a Sufi Kathak musical evening, in Multan, organized by the Honorary Consulate General of Paraguay[citation needed] in honor of the Argentinean ambassador.

[citation needed] She was chosen to represent Pakistan at the Asian Advertising Congress in Seoul, South Korea, in 1985 and at the Great hall of China in 1987.

She has performed in places such Japan, China, Sicily, Rome, Singapore, India, England, Austria, France, Germany, Mauritius, and the United States.

The 1996 Cricket World Cup was hosted in Pakistan, and Chaudhry[15] was chosen to present a cultural festival in all the major cities.

From 1995 to 2010, she performed on numerous occasions in Pakistan, such as Eid and National Days and Award Ceremonies for PTV and other TV channels.

In 1992, she started her career as an actress; she performed in a video of Pakistan's first "Sufi Rock" Junoon (band), for MTV.

In 1993, she played a female lead role in the PTV drama Maigh Malhar[24] – a 13-episode love story set at the time of the division of Pakistan in 1971.

She acted in a serial called Ma shot in Scotland, which showcased poetry by Pakistan's renowned poet and philosopher Muhammad Iqbal.

In 2003, she acted in a Pakistani feature film Kyun Tum Say Itna Pyar Hai, which was directed by Ajab Gul.

[26] She wants to establish performing arts as education, to document and preserve cultural heritage, to prevent the decaying of its presence among society.

The Nighat Chaudhry Foundation[30] is meant to guide the people of Pakistan towards a true ownership of cultural heritage.