As renowned contemporary dance company Attakkalari celebrates its silver jubilee this year, founder Jayachandran Palazhi looks at “two interconnected aspects” that have shaped the organisation’s journey over the last 25 years: major institutional successes and defining creative milestones.
“In our early days of setting up in Bengaluru, the dancers and I would cycle to our make shift studio and I would even cook lunch for them,” he says, adding that things changed after funding came in from the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (now Tata Trusts). This support enabled the team to set up Attakalari’s first permanent base in the city’s Wilson Gardens, converting an old garage and workshop into studios, offices and technology spaces. “That modest beginning made it possible to launch long-term initiatives like the Diploma in Movement Arts and Pedagogy and Concise.”
Sonnet of the world Photo Credit: Samuel Rajkumar
Today, Attakalari operates in a four-storey rented building with three studios, a theatre, café and a space for their technical division. Work is now underway on the Center for Innovation in the Performing Arts (CIPA) which will include two indoor theatres, a large amphitheater, several studios, an audio-visual library and an incubation center for new works. “The dedicated facilities will have a Kalaripayattu Pit and Wellness Centre, a Stage Technology Resource Centre, exhibition space and a restaurant,” explains Jayachandran.
To celebrate the silver jubilee, “a double bill that reflects both our roots and our global outlook” is planned. The evening will begin with Geometry of Becoming, a 25-minute outdoor, site-specific work inspired by the sacred geometry of Rangoli.
“Reflecting the diversity and creative energy of Bengaluru, this piece treats Rangoli as a metaphor for performance. The choreography is imagined as tributaries with specific geometric forms, movement vocabulary and musical identity,” Jayachandran says about the piece he has choreographed.
A performance by Attakkalari Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The second production, titled Sonnet of Samsara, is a one-hour production that has been performed in the UK and Italy. “Commissioned by Serendipity Arts Festival and created by Attakalari, with the support of the British Council, in collaboration with London’s Kinetica Design Studio, this work responds to the climate emergency, environmental crisis, conflict and deepening social divide,” he says of the piece that draws from myths, memories, lived experience and imagination.
Sonnet of the world Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
As Jayachandran looks back over the past few decades, he explains how, previously, discussions around contemporary dance “were often marked by skepticism and seen as a polarity between traditional and contemporary aesthetics”.
Today, says Jayachandran, this has changed. “Across Bengaluru and across India, artists are asking critical questions, developing innovative strategies, and creating original, often transdisciplinary work,” he says. He further said that dance has always been an integral part of Indian culture. “A few centuries ago, it enjoyed both high social status and economic viability. After all, even our gods dance. During my years in the UK, I was regularly invited by the Arts Council of England and national dance agencies to contribute to policy discussions on dance and the performing arts. In India, such platforms are still largely absent.”
Sonnet of the world Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Hence, his approach to CIPA. Jayachandran concluded, “For such an approach to succeed, it requires sustained interest, investment and collective responsibility from society and government alike. Despite every challenge, dance is deeply embedded in our culture, our lives and our sense of existence and it will endure.”
Geometry of Becoming and Sonnet of Samsara will take place on January 31 at the Prestige Center for Performing Arts (PCPA) from 6 pm onwards.
published – January 28, 2026 11:49 am IST