Nrityagram Dance Ensemble

Nrityagram, meaning 'dance village,' was founded by celebrated Odissi dancer Protima Gauri in 1990 as India's first contemporary gurukul for classical dance, located 30 kilometers from Bengaluru near Hesaraghatta Lake. The residential school offers intensive training in the traditional guru-shishya parampara—eight hours daily, six days a week, for seven years. Following Protima Gauri's death in the 1997 Malpa landslide, Lynne Fernandez took over management while Surupa Sen became artistic director, a role she continues to hold. The ensemble made its acclaimed New York debut in 1996, which Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times described as 'one of the most luminous dance events of the year.' Nrityagram has since toured extensively across North America, Europe, and Asia, with productions like 'Vibhakta' and 'Samhāra' recognized as among the finest contemporary expressions of Odissi.