Attakkalari celebrates 25 years of contemporary dance through two spectacular performances

The idea was that it’s a milestone but the journey continues. This year, we are also building a Centre for Innovation in Performing Arts on 1.65 acres in Kempe gowda Layout near Bangalore University. The performances are a way to celebrate the milestone, take a breath and also highlight the future.

Bengaluru has been incredible. When I came here around 1999– 2000, I didn’t know the city, but it felt open to new ideas and experimentation. Unlike other cities, it didn’t have traditional hangups and the climate was conducive to intense physical activity for dancers. The city’s support has helped make Bengaluru a hub for contemporary dance, not just in India but across South Asia.

Our first centre was a car garage, which we converted into studios and an office space. In 2019, we moved to a four-floor facility with three studios, a theatre, a technology resource centre and a café. Now, with the new Centre for Innovation in Performing Arts, we’ll have multiple theatres, studios, an audio-visual library and spaces for research, experimentation and outreach.

Both works combine tradition and contemporary practice. Geometry of Becoming is a site-specific outdoor piece inspired by rangoli patterns, celebrating Bengaluru’s diversity, languages and the city’s contribution to contemporary physical expression. Sonnet of Samsara is a 60-minute theatrical work reflecting the pulse of contemporary society, addressing environmental crises, social divisions and technology. It blends classical forms like kalaripayattu, koodiyattam, bharatanatyam and contemporary dance. The piece has been received well internationally, with standing ovations in the UK and Italy.

Creating artistes is the most significant achievement — more than any individual artwork. Many alumni have become choreographers, set up studios and work nationally and internationally. Our effort is to teach people the basics, so they create, innovate and mentor others.

Each one of us is composite — shaped by local and global influences. Traditional forms are codified expressions of movement principles. By deconstructing these, we can create new contemporary expressions rooted in tradition, enriched by global experiences and technology. Dance is pattern recognition and sensorial experience. It’s presence in itself becomes the artwork.

Today, a teacher is just one of many sources of knowledge. Students also learn from peers, themselves and digital media. But embodiment and disciplined physical practice is something that remains crucial. Dance is about inhabiting spaces beyond the physical body, creating an experiential connection with the audience.

Initially, audiences struggled with contemporary forms and the polarity between tradition and innovation. Today, audiences in Bengaluru are more refined, asking insightful questions about concept and process. Post-COVID-19, participation dipped but I am happy to see that it is now gradually returning as people reconnect with the out-of-the-ordinary experience of live performance.

With our groundwork resonating, the new Centre for Innovation in Performing Arts will allow us to research, experiment, incubate and present work. We will support young and underprivileged artistes, provide professional training and create programs that could serve as a catalyst and model for others. The future of dance in Bengaluru is poised for growth and I am very optimistic and hopeful.