Delhi is all set to turn the spotlight on Indian classical dance with the Festival of New Choreographies — KalaYatra 2026, a five-day event curated by Padma Vibhushan awardee Sonal Mansingh. The festival that features 10 performances – which reimagine classical forms through themes drawn from mythology, ecology and social consciousness – opens today.
The opening day will witness a staging of Amrut-Manthan, directed and choreographed by Mansingh, featuring artistes from the Centre for Indian Classical Dances. “This festival is not merely a cultural event; it’s a civilisational dialogue. New choreographies are essential to keep our classical traditions alive, responsive and relevant. When rooted in our sacred wisdom and lived realities, innovation becomes a continuation of tradition, not its rupture,” says Mansingh, stressing on the need for new choreographies to keep Indian classical traditions relevant.
Among the highlights of this festival will be a choreography, Matrika, by the LGBTQ+ ensemble Rainbow Dance Troupe, Barasat. This troupe's professional prowess was recently witnessed on TV during a reality show, and its director, Ratri Das, shares: “We are excited to perform for the first time in Delhi… The production that we will perform will exhibit shakti of the nine devis.”
Rendering timeless expressions through movement will be other notable presentations such as Chakravyuha by Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra and Athijeevanam – centred on the preservation of Nature – directed by Guru TB Jagadeesan of the International Kathakali Centre. There will also be staging of Girija Kalyana (Shiva–Parvati Vivaha) presented in the Yakshagana style of Karnataka, directed by Guru Keremane Shivananda Hegde, and Saugandhikaharnam directed by Piyal Bhattacharya from Chidakash Kalalay Centre of Art and Divinity in Kolkata. In addition, there will be a presentation of Duryodhana, directed by Ratikant Mohapatra, Srjan from Bhubaneswar (Odisha). Mohapatra shares, “We will portray Duryodhana in a renewed light as not just an antagonist but a complex and tragic figure shaped by fate, loyalty, pride, and circumstances.”
Catch It Live
{{/usCountry}}Rendering timeless expressions through movement will be other notable presentations such as Chakravyuha by Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra and Athijeevanam – centred on the preservation of Nature – directed by Guru TB Jagadeesan of the International Kathakali Centre. There will also be staging of Girija Kalyana (Shiva–Parvati Vivaha) presented in the Yakshagana style of Karnataka, directed by Guru Keremane Shivananda Hegde, and Saugandhikaharnam directed by Piyal Bhattacharya from Chidakash Kalalay Centre of Art and Divinity in Kolkata. In addition, there will be a presentation of Duryodhana, directed by Ratikant Mohapatra, Srjan from Bhubaneswar (Odisha). Mohapatra shares, “We will portray Duryodhana in a renewed light as not just an antagonist but a complex and tragic figure shaped by fate, loyalty, pride, and circumstances.”
Catch It Live
{{/usCountry}}What: Festival of New Choreographies — KalaYatra 2026
Where: Kamani Auditorium, 1 Copernicus Marg, Mandi House
When: January 13 to 15, 28 and 29
Timing: 6.30pm
Nearest Metro Station: Mandi House on the Blue & Violet Lines
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