Rama Vaidyanathan opens Spectrum 2026 with Bahukriya, exploring the many faces of the goddess
Spectrum 2026 returns as a celebration of Indian classical and contemporary dance, offering audiences a journey through Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kathak, and international performances. From January 30 to February 22, the festival combines powerful stage works with masterclasses, giving both dance lovers and new audiences a chance to experience the evolving language of movement.
The opening performance features Bharatanatyam maestro Rama Vaidyanathan and her troupe in Bahukriya, a group work that brings the many faces of the Goddess — fierce, compassionate, human, divine — vividly to life.
Rama, winner of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award (2013) and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2017), brings her trademark blend of precision and poetic expression to the stage. In Bahukriya, she balances emotion and visual imagery through the ensemble, creating a living narrative in motion. In an exclusive chat with Indulge Express, she opens up about how the work reflects her ongoing dialogue with Bharatanatyam and her vision of making classical dance accessible and compelling for today’s audiences.
You’re opening Spectrum 2026 with Bahukriya. For someone who may not be deeply familiar with Bharatanatyam, what is the emotional or visual world of this work? What can audiences expect to experience in the theatre?
Bahukriya showcases the multiple facets, many faces and functions of the Goddess. She is fierce, she fights against injustice, she fights against evil, but she is also compassionate and full of empathy. She is not only a Goddess, but also an ordinary woman; that godliness can even be seen in a tribal woman. She is sometimes imagined as grotesque, yet she is also beautiful. These many facets of Devi are what I am going to represent in Bahukriya.
Bahukriya is a group work. How does dancing with an ensemble change what you are able to express, compared to when you are alone on stage?
When I create a group choreography, it is my vision and my thought process that I am able to manifest through several bodies. It is not just my own body expressing the idea, but many bodies becoming the medium, which is very exciting, but also challenging at the same time.
I usually believe in the principle of minimalism — that less is more — and I try to communicate through very simple, restrained, straightforward gestures. But when you have multiple bodies, you have to find a balance between emotion and visual imagery. It becomes important not to turn a group work into a spectacle, but to let the emotion come through the group.
After so many years of performing, what still excites you about returning to the rehearsal room and creating a new work like this?
Every time I work on a new project, on a new theme, what excites me most is the insight I gain into my own dance form, Bharatanatyam — how it keeps showing me new routes, new avenues, new vocabulary. It is the dance form, and what it reveals to me, that truly excites me.
Whenever you are working on a new project, you are looking for new movement, new ways of expression, new vocabulary — and Bharatanatyam offers itself. I feel it lends itself to the process. That interaction, that dialogue with the dance, is what is most exciting for me.
Spectrum brings together senior artistes and evolving ideas. Why is it important for classical dance today to be seen in festival spaces like this, rather than only in traditional solo formats?
I think it is always important to reach out to new audiences. It is crucial to bridge the distance between artistes and spectators. And to do that, a festival like Spectrum at the NCPA — presenting new work, especially group work — creates a lot of buzz. It generates attention and excitement, not only among regular dance lovers, but also among people who may not usually attend a traditional classical or solo performance.
When audiences come to a festival, they expect to encounter a new theme or something stimulating that gives them food for thought. They hope to see work that feels fresh, even path-breaking. And I think that is what Spectrum offers. That is why it is important to present this kind of work within a festival like this.
Rama Vaidyanathan in Bahukriya
Date: Friday, January 30, 2026
Time: 6:30 PM
Venue: Tata Theatre, NCPA, Mumbai