New classical productions come up exciting themes.
Aayam presents ‘Nrityadhara 3’ – A celebration of learning, lineage and Bharatanatyam — the annual Bharatanatyam showcase conceived and directed by guru Sindhu Mishra. It brings together more than 100 dancers on the stage and the production celebrates the spirit of Bharatanatyam through rhythm, expression, devotion and storytelling.
The programme opens with a contemplative guru stuti inspired by Meerabai, performed by senior disciples, which transitions into chatusra alarippu composed and choreographed by Sindhu Mishra, followed by a jathiswaram in ragamalika set to Misra Chapu tala, and later an abhinaya piece ‘Krishna nee begane baro’. The repertoire also includes ‘Shivashtakam’, based on the celebrated hymn composed by Adi Shankaracharya, which will be presented by intermediate students.
The youngest dancers of Aayam will perform ‘Angikam Bhuvanam’, a shloka often introduced to beginners as an invocation to Shiva. Their presentation will be followed by a pushpanjali dedicated to Lord Ganesha, where junior students will showcase both rhythmic precision and expressive interpretation. The evening will conclude with Kalinga Nartanat thillana.
The venue for ‘Nrityadhara 3’ is LTG Auditorium, New Delhi, on June 5, at 6.30 p.m. Entry is free; register on Aayam’s home page.
Draupadi’s take on the epic
From Nrityantar’s next production
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Nrityantar Dance Ensemble will present an Odissi dance production titled Draupadi’s Mahabharata… the epic that began with her. It will be staged by Odissi dancer Madhulita Mohapatra and her troupe on June 7, at 3.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. at Bengaluru’s Jagriti Theatre in Whitefield.
“It is a retelling of the Mahabharata through the eyes of Draupadi. The production traces defining moments of the epic — Draupadi’s swayamvara, the fateful dice game, her public humiliation in the Kuru court, the long and devastating war, and its haunting aftermath — not as isolated episodes, but as a continuous moral journey,” says Madhulita.
The dance is rooted in the classical grammar of Odissi and the choreography fuses sculptural precision with layered abhinaya and a strong theatrical flow. Drawing inspiration from Maharishi Vyasa’s Mahabharata, the narrative is enriched with poetic inputs by Ashtavadhani Balachandra Bhat in Sanskrit and Kedar Mishra in Odia. Music is by Rupak Kumar Parida and rhythm composition by Guru Dhaneswar Swain.
Tickets available on BookMyShow.
Opera meets Odissi
From ‘Rhythms of Life’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The Centre for Peace and Performing Arts (CPPA) will present its latest production ‘Rhythms of Life’ — a two‑hour odyssey that traverses the phases of human existence through music, movement, and storytelling.
The show will be staged in Bengaluru on June 5, 7 p.m. at Jagriti Theatre, Whitefield.
Conceived as a fusion of traditions and contemporary explorations, the performance weaves together opera by Aastha Mohapatra, Odissi by Rinjini Mitra and Baisali Mohanty, and Bharatanatyam by guest performer Raksha Karthik. The evening opens with opera-layered with dance choreography in Odissi.
This will be followed by four traditional Odissi dances — ‘Shankara Pallavi’, ‘Panchabhootam’, ‘Bibhushana Pushpe’ and ‘Lalita Lavanga’ — alongside original CPPA productions: ‘The Child Within’ and ‘She Exists’.
“‘The Child Within’ reflects how grief and pain often lead us back to the innocence and joy of childhood, while ‘She Exists’ explores resilience in conflict‑ridden spaces and the strength of women. Both pieces weave in real voices of children and women CPPA has worked with, reminding audiences that these lives deserve to be witnessed,” Rinjini.
The evening culminates in the CPPA “‘Peace Anthem’, which was premiered earlier at the Delhi Peace Festival, with music, lyrics, and choreography created in‑house,” she adds.
Founded in 2021 by Odissi dancer and choreographer Baisali Mohanty, CPPA is a global non‑profit registered in the United Kingdom and India, that brings together artists, cultural practitioners, and peacebuilders to harness the transformative power of artistic expression, states Rinjini.
Tickets for ‘Rhythms of Life’ are available on BookMyShow.
Published – June 03, 2026 06:52 pm IST
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