Nrityagram

Nrityagram is India's first modern gurukula, or residential school, for Indian classical dance, established as a dance village on farmland near Bengaluru. It was conceived by the Odissi dancer Protima Gauri and was formally inaugurated in 1990. The institution is built around the guru-shishya parampara, with students and teachers living together and following a disciplined daily life of dance, yoga and study. Its primary focus is Odissi, supported by body conditioning drawn from yoga, Kalaripayattu and classical movement. Nrityagram is also home to an internationally acclaimed dance ensemble that has toured widely and earned critical recognition abroad. The campus hosts community programmes, classes and the annual cultural gathering that has drawn large audiences. Under artistic director Surupa Sen, Nrityagram continues to train dancers and present new work, sustaining a distinctive aesthetic rooted in tradition while reaching contemporary audiences worldwide.