New Delhi: The 19th World Dance Day Celebrations 2026, curated by acclaimed dancer Geeta Chandran (Padmashri & SNA Awardee), will be held over two days, Saturday, April 25th, 2026 and Sunday, April 26th, 2026, at the India International Centre (IIC), New Delhi. Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and hosted at IIC, the festival is presented by Team Natya Vriksha. The event aims to bring together performances, discussions, and immersive learning experiences, featuring a dynamic line-up of workshops, lecture-demonstrations, panel discussions, and performances by both senior and emerging artistes.
Conceived as a vibrant platform to honour the spirit of paramparā while engaging with contemporary concerns, the festival stands out for its thoughtful curation that bridges generations, geographies and artistic disciplines. From the continuity of lineage in classical dance traditions to conversations around the future of dance in an AI-driven world, the event reflects both rootedness and relevance.
Spread across two days, Day One – Saturday, April 25th, 2026 promises to engage audiences with a Yangshak Movement Workshop from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., facilitated by Imphal-based choreographer and contemporary performing artist Surjit Nongmeikapam, founder and artistic director of Nachom Arts Foundation.
The workshop focuses on choreographing Yangshak—derived from “Yang” (spine/internal) and “Shak” (image/external)—which emerges from the philosophy of Lairen Mathek, rooted in the stories and movements of Manipuri traditions. It offers an in-depth understanding of the body, working with breath, impulse, weight shifting, momentum, the spine, and geometries. The practice also draws from Manipuri martial arts Thang-Ta and traditional dance to further explore movement.
At 4:00 p.m., the program presents Pravāhita (Marathi and Hindi repertoire), an illustrated lecture-performance by Guru Dr. Sucheta Bhide-Chapekar (Pune), accompanied by Smt. Arundhati Patwardhan and Ku. Sagarika Patwardhan. The word Pravāhita signifies continuity—paramparā. The presentation brings together three generations of dancers, who perform Bharatanatyam compositions alongside Dr. Bhide-Chapekar’s innovative work Nritya-Ganga, which blends Bharatanatyam technique with Hindustani classical music. The performance underscores the enduring beauty and relevance of traditions passed down through generations.
The evening segment, titled Young Dancers Festival (Yuva Nritya Utsav), showcases emerging talent from across the country. At 6:30 p.m., Bharatanatyam will be performed by Karuna Sagari (Chennai), followed by 7:45 p.m., Kathak by Ameera Patankar (Pune).
Day Two – Sunday, April 26th, 2026 opens again with the Yangshak Movement Workshop from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., facilitated by Surjit Nongmeikapam.
At 4:00 p.m., a panel discussion titled AI & Dance: Challenges and Opportunities will be led by artpreneur Dr. Anita Ratnam, initiating critical dialogue on the evolving intersections of technology and the performing arts, with keynote speaker Madhu Nataraj, Director, Stem Dance Kampni, Bangalore. As part of Natya Vriksha’s, AI & DANCE discussion, the discussion will explore interdisciplinary engagements between Movement Arts, Virtual Reality, and Artificial Intelligence, exploring the convergence of embodied expression and cutting-edge technology.
The Young Dancers Festival continues in the evening with 6:30 p.m., Odissi by Vrinda Chadha (New Delhi), followed by 7:45 p.m., Kuchipudi by Avijit Das (Bangalore).
A leading voice in Indian classical dance, and curator of this ambitious annual property, Geeta Chandran shares, “World Dance Day, for me, is a moment to reaffirm the living continuum of our traditions where learning, questioning, and sharing coexist. Through this festival, I hope to create a space where the rigour of classical practice meets curiosity, where young dancers find direction, and where audiences can experience dance as both inheritance and inquiry.”
Sharing her perspective on AI and the evolving journey of dance, Dr. Anita Ratnam said, “I welcome AI as part of our evolving world. It can offer rhythm, patterns and new possibilities. But dance, at its core, is deeply human. It is in the breath, the risk, the moment when a dancer pushes beyond limits—that’s what truly moves an audience and leaves them in awe.”
Reflecting on the workshop, Nongmeikapam shares, “Yangshak, for me, begins with the spine as a living axis—where internal impulse meets external image. Through this practice, I hope participants can listen to their bodies more closely, discovering movement that is both deeply personal and connected to a larger cultural memory.”
As she reaches out to the audience through Pravāhita, embodying lineage and gently passing the baton forward, Guru Dr. Sucheta Bhide-Chapekar said, “To share the stage with my daughter and granddaughter is to witness paramparā in motion, where tradition continues to evolve with sensitivity while remaining anchored in its core values. Bharatanatyam, for me, has always been a process of deep engagement; with technique, with abhinaya, and with the audience that grows alongside the art.”
About the Curator – Geeta Chandran
Celebrated as one of the leading figures in Indian classical dance globally, Geeta Chandran is an acclaimed Bharatanatyam dancer, Guru, scholar, choreographer, media personality and Carnatic vocalist. Initiated into dance at the age of five under Guru Smt. Swarna Saraswati, she has trained under several stalwart Gurus, evolving a distinctive style where nuanced abhinaya meets complex nritta, enriched by her deep grounding in Carnatic music. As Founder-President and Artistic Director of Natya Vriksha, New Delhi (est. 1991), she has nurtured generations of dancers through a holistic pedagogy that integrates tradition with contemporary thought. Over a five-decade career since her arangetram in 1974 (marking 50 years in 2024) she has engaged deeply with questions of body and mind, solo and ensemble practice, and the role of dance in society. Her contributions have been recognised with the Padmashri (2007), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2016), Tagore National Fellowship (2017–18), and Nritya Chudamani (2024). A cultural ambassador and active arts advocate, she continues to “endance” the universe through performance, teaching, writing, and curatorial initiatives, including her work with the Serendipity Arts Festival (2022–2025).
About Guru Dr. Sucheta Bhide-Chapekar
An artiste of rare individuality, septuagenarian Guru Dr. Sucheta Bhide-Chapekar is widely acclaimed as one of the finest exponents of Bharatanatyam. Trained in the Guru-Shishya tradition under stalwarts Acharya Parvatikumar (Bombay) and Guru K.P. Kittappa (Tanjore), she regards Smt. Balasaraswati as her “Manasa Guru.” She holds a Master of Fine Arts (Dance) from Bombay University and a Ph.D. (“Sangeetacharya”), and trained for eight years in Carnatic music under Smt. Thailambal Krishnan (Chennai).
A recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2007), she is known for her purity of technique, innovation, and nuanced abhinaya, marked by grace, restraint, musicality, and clarity. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has made significant contributions as a dancer, teacher, researcher, and choreographer, while also cultivating informed audiences for Bharatanatyam in Maharashtra through her lecture-demonstrations and performances.
About Surjit Nongmeikapam
Imphal-based choreographer and contemporary performing artist Surjit Nongmeikapam brings a deeply embodied and interdisciplinary approach to movement. As the founder of the Nachom Arts Foundation, his practice draws from the physical vocabulary of Manipuri traditions, particularly Thang-Ta (martial arts), alongside contemporary dance frameworks. With a strong focus on the body’s internal dynamics: breath, impulse, weight, momentum, and spatial geometry, his work creates a unique dialogue between tradition and experimentation. Through the Yangshak movement workshop, he invites participants to engage with the body as a site of exploration, expanding both technical awareness and expressive potential.
About Dr. Anita Ratnam
Chennai-based Dr. Anita Ratnam is an acclaimed dancer, choreographer, writer and arts entrepreneur, known for her distinctive voice in contemporary Indian performance. Classically trained in Bharatanatyam, as well as Kathakali and Mohiniattam, she has evolved a unique movement language she terms “Neo Bharatam,” blending tradition with modern sensibilities.
With a career spanning over five decades and more than a thousand performances across the world, her work extends beyond the stage into curation, writing, and cultural advocacy. Founder of the Arangham Trust and a prominent thought leader in the arts, she continues to shape critical conversations around dance, identity, and the evolving role of performance in a changing world.
About Dr. Madhu Nataraj
Award winning choreographer- Madhu Nataraj, has created 150 original choreographies, presented across 40+ countries. She is the Artistic Director of STEM (Space. Time. Energy. Movement) Dance Kampni and leads The Natya Institute of Kathak & Choreography, a globally recognized institution dedicated to dance pedagogy, performance, research, and outreach.
A disciple of the legendary Guru Dr. Maya Rao and Guru Chitra Venugopal, Madhu’s training in classical Kathak is complemented by her academic credentials in Commerce, Journalism, and Choreography. Her illustrious career has been recognized with numerous accolades, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, the Karnataka Kalashree award, the FICCI Women Achievers Award, and recognition by India Today as one of India’s 50 Young Achievers. An Aspen Global Leadership Network Fellow, she is deeply invested in exploring the transformative, healing, and expressive potential of the movement arts within contemporary and interdisciplinary contexts.
