Dancer-choreographer Madhu Nataraj will lead a two-day dance program in Bengaluru. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A conference titled Choreographing Continuum will be held in Bengaluru this weekend in memory of renowned Kathak dancer Maya Rao to celebrate her contribution to Indian dance and explore ways to carry forward her legacy.
The conference is being hosted by the Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography (NIKC), one of India’s premier institutes for contemporary classical dance, which was founded in 1964 by Maya along with social reformer and activist Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay.
The 2026 edition, led by Madhu Nataraj, Maya’s daughter and dancer-choreographer, founder of STEM Dance Company, will explore her legacy as a living practice – how choreographic thinking moves through time, responding to climate change, AI, healing, identity and social change.
Madhu says, dance holds a prominent place in the cultural, social and political spheres. “Maya was a passionate academic, researcher, Renaissance woman and mentor. This conference celebrates the legacy of the woman who started it all.”
Through this conference, Madhu hopes to take a look at documentation and archives for the future. “We will also explore the role of art in a polarized world.”
The two-day event will bring together artists, scholars, philanthropists and cultural thinkers for performances, conversations and immersive archival experiences. will include TravelA theatrical retrospective, as well as performances by Project Abhinay, Palimpsest and Asha Esperanza, among others, as well as an exhibition focusing on ethos, echoes and expression.
This year’s edition will feature Malaysian choreographer Datuk Ramlee Ibrahim, writers Rohini Nilekani, Shobha Narayan and Vikram Sampath, dancers Sandhya Purecha, Anita Ratnam and Siddhi Goyal, Amit Wanchoo, social activist and entrepreneur, and artist Masoom Parmar. There will also be a curated walk and a flamenco dance workshop, Unleash the Fire.
Madhu believes that dance as an art has been weakened. “If you look at Natya Shastra (Sanskrit treatise on performing arts), it has always been accommodating and evolving, pollinated by poetry, architecture and politics, changing with time. Now, as reality TV has become a significant stakeholder in the entertainment industry, the purity of the art form has diminished.”
Madhu hopes to spark more conversations about dance and says events like this point people in the right direction.
Choreographing Continuum will be held on January 31 and February 1 between 9.30 am to 5.30 pm at BLR. Register for the event Here.
published – January 27, 2026 09:49 PM IST