Indian classical dance has stepped off the sacred stage and directly onto the global high-fashion radar, serving as the ultimate muse for leading luxury design houses. Luxury ateliers are translating the mudras (gestures), striking geometric symmetry, and fluid movements of dance forms such as Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and Mohiniyattam into high-jewellery masterpieces. Moving along those lines is Angara’s latest offering, TAAL, a global fine-jewellery brand inspired by Indian classical dance forms.
Aditi Daga, co-founder of Angara, who leads design at the brand and is a trained Kathak dancer herself, says, “In classical dance, rhythm is not simply something you follow. It shapes the movement, the emotion and, ultimately, the story being told. It was that relationship between rhythm and expression that first sparked the idea for TAAL.”
They were not looking to recreate dance in a literal way. Instead, they looked at the poses, rhythms, gestures, and symbols that make these traditions so distinctive and asked how they could be expressed through form, gemstones, and movement. “That is what makes TAAL personal to me. It brings together something I have grown up appreciating with the kind of jewellery Angara creates today—pieces that have a story behind them but still feel effortless to wear,” she says.
On choosing dance forms such as Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kuchipudi, and Mohiniyattam as the starting point for TAAL, she says the contrast between these forms interested them.
“Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi have a wonderful sense of structure, with precise lines, strong poses, and dramatic expression. Kathak brings in spins, intricate footwork, and a very distinct relationship with rhythm. Odissi and Mohiniyattam, on the other hand, have a softer, more fluid quality to their movement. Those differences gave us very different creative cues,” she shares.
This also influenced the gemstone stories within the collection. “The five forms are not simply references within the collection. They each contribute a different mood, movement, and visual language.”
For Aditi, one of the most interesting parts of the process was figuring out how something as intangible as rhythm could become a physical design. “We explored this through bols, the rhythmic syllables used in classical music and dance. Sequences such as Dha Ka Dhi Na and Takka Dhimi became the starting point for geometric forms within the collection.
Movement also comes through in the way the jewellery interacts with light. Curved pavé settings allow the diamonds to catch the light as the piece moves, while ghungroo-inspired details add another layer of movement and rhythm. Then there are the motifs, such as the Mayura, lotus, and sitar, which we have treated more fluidly rather than as static symbols. The idea throughout was to capture the feeling of movement without making the jewellery feel like a costume or an illustration of dance,” she adds.
₹12,000 onwards. Available online.
—manuvipin@newindianexpress.com
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