How Malavika Sarukkai’s Kalavahini Trust is redefining support for classical dancers

It was a warm April evening in 2015. Malavika Sarukkai was preparing to launch Kalavahini Trust to support young and talented classical dancers. Elegantly draped in a sari – as she always is – and sitting under a bougainvillea tree in front of the rehearsal space at her charming Thiruvanmiyur home in Chennai, she said:, “I want to give back to the art that has given my life meaning and purpose. I am keen to do something for the next generation of artists. As an insider, I know how best to support them.”

This year, the Kalavahini Trust, which hosts the Dance for Dance Festival, completes a decade. As its curator, Malavika now has much to look back on and look forward to. “I knew I was undertaking an extremely challenging task as raising funds for classical dance is never easy. When I started, reaching this milestone had never crossed my mind,” she says, as she keeps herself busy with the nitty-gritty of the 10th year celebrations.

Malavika’s own long and victorious journey in art helped people believe in her vision. She explains, “The annual Dance for Dance festival, now in its seventh edition, is not just about selecting outstanding young and established artists; it is also about how dance should be created, seen and understood.”

Through its series of performances, Kalavahini aims to reiterate the importance of the festival stage. “It’s not just about training and getting on stage. Dance demands deep commitment and focus. The intellectual rigor that an artiste brings to his work makes a lot of difference,” says the senior dancer, choreographer and guru.

Commissioning new works is a cornerstone of artistic patronage, allowing established dancers and organizations to nurture choreographic voices while removing financial barriers to creation. In the Indian classical dance landscape, where resources remain a constant challenge, such initiatives become catalysts for innovation and collaborative artistry. The highlight of this year’s Dance for Dance festival is the recruitment of one artiste by another.

Vaibhav Arekar will present his new production ‘Viyog – Fragments of Light’ at Dance for Dance Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

According to Malvika, “It’s an important gesture to value one’s work and be able to put all one’s energy into creating it. I really enjoyed being a part of Vaibhav Arekar’s new work. I traveled to Pune, spent three days exchanging ideas, connecting with his team of dancers and offering my creative inputs. Now, I am eagerly awaiting its staging. Commissioning requires mutual trust and respect, but it It’s essential to have a third person look at your work and make changes that enhance the final output.

Kalavahini is here for the long term, says Malvika, who encourages artistes to shed external tags and work from within. While Bharatanatyam and its practitioners figure prominently, given Malavika’s own roots and Chennai base, the organization is extending invitations to artists from across the classical dance spectrum. In adopting this diversity of forms, Kalavahini seeks to reflect the fragmented world itself – bringing together distinct traditions in a shared language of expression. “In a divisive world, you need art that helps audiences empathize with humanity and our planet,” she says, a reminder that dance, like a river, brings not only rhythm but renewal, binding hearts and hopes together in a continuum of belonging.