NCPA Utkarsh: In Reverence to the Maestro

Demystifying Indian Dance
A Lecture-Demonstration Series
Bharatanatyam by Bala Devi Chandrashekar

An NCPA Presentation

Utkarsh is an interactive lecture-demonstration series designed to introduce the audience to Indian classical dance. By taking audiences on a journey through each dance form’s historical origins, distinct identifiers like aharya and mudras, unique music and foundational movements, it demystifies traditional art forms, showcasing the incredible richness and vast repertoire of India’s dance heritage. This month we feature renowned Bharatanatyam artiste, Bala Devi Chandrashekar.

Bala Devi Chandrashekar is a Bharatanatyam exponent and research scholar. She is known for her distinct scholarly style and takes on subjects based on ancient texts supported by intense research. She collaborates with renowned scholars in their respective fields, carving messages from scriptures relevant to the contemporary world and actively presenting this form worldwide. She has been recognised with numerous awards for her contributions to Bharatanatyam which include the Kalaimamani from the Government of Tamil Nadu, Bharata Nritya Seva Mani from Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, Natya Choodamani from the Government of Andhra Pradesh Government among others. Additionally, she was honoured by the Governor of New Jersey with a proclamation recognising her contributions to the performing arts. She is an empanelled artiste of the ICCR and an approved artiste by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, for overseas performances. As a Professor of Practice, Chandrashekar is constantly developing ‘performing studies’ in collaboration with theatre and dance, history, philosophy, linguistic anthropology and South Asian Departments of various universities in the United States and has previously served as a fellow and artist-in-residence at The Carl A. Fields Center for Equality + Cultural Understanding at Princeton University.

Entry free on a first come, first served basis.