About the Nrityagram School

In 1988, with the help of many supporters, Protima Bedi built Nrityagram – a dance village – in Hessaraghatta, near Bangalore in India.  The dance village is home to an all-female dance ensemble of the same name.  Company members live together and study their art with master gurus in the gurukul (house of the guru, or teacher).

Since her death in 1998, Protima’s vision has not only been continued, but has been expanded upon.  Surupa Sen and Bijayini Satpathy work to further develop the traditional Odissi dance form based on their study of the Natyashastra – the root of all dance in India, as well as through the incorporation of choreographic techniques adapted from world dance.  Surupa has pushed the boundaries of Indian dance and gained international recognition for the dynamic imagery of her choreography.  She is constantly in search of ways to create new imagery and movement, and won an award for her contribution to Odissi choreography.

Odissi is a demanding art. Training for the dancers takes place eight hours a day, six days a week. In this holistic community, in addition to intensive dance training, the dancers learn literature, mythology, poetry, Sanskrit, music, aesthetics, history of dance, philosophy, spiritual thought, and dance theory.  They also participate in workshops in martial arts, yoga, mime, meditation, sculpture, etc.  The end result is a dance company whose synchronicity and skill in Odissi is unparalleled, and whose dancing reveals none of this effort.

Residential dance training programs are offered free to select students for a period of three to six years, so that they can concentrate fully on their studies without the distraction of financial concerns.  In order to revitalize and preserve the Odissi tradition, the most promising students are trained to be Odissi teachers.

Nrityagram has contributed notably to the propagation of Odissi in India.  Vasanta Habba, a cultural event organized by Nrityagram, is known as the “classical Woodstock of India”.

More than just reviving Odissi in India, Protima’s efforts promoted the study and popularity of Indian dance abroad.  Dancers from Nrityagram have carried the message of Indian dance to the United States, Canada, UK, Denmark, Dubai, Holland, Portugal and Japan.  Wherever they perform they are greeted with enthusiasm and praise.