SRI RAJARAJESWARI BHARATHA NATYA KALA MANDIR headed by Guru K Kalyanasundaram in Mumbai, marks its 79th year!

To recognise the decades of cultural service in Switzerland by D Keshava's Kalasri, their research project '48 YEARS OF DANCE STORY BETWEEN BASEL (SWITZERLAND) AND MYSORE (INDIA)' is selected by the Basel City Cultural Dept. for 2024.

Sadhna Shrivastav launched her maiden book LEGENDS IN ONE FRAME with photographs by the legendary Avinash Pasricha, published by Shubi Publications, on Jan 24, 2024 at New Delhi.

The Telegraph has named Seeta Patel's reimagining of THE RITE OF SPRING one of the top five best dance shows of 2023.

RAM GOPAL: INTERWEAVING HISTORIES OF INDIAN DANCE written by Anne R David is published by Bloomsbury. Both a biography and a history, this book explores the significant role that Indian dancer Ram Gopal (1912-2003) played in bringing Indian dance to international audiences from the 1930s to the late 1960s.

Seetha Ratnakar's documentary on her mother's musical journey titled ASAMANA ANASUYA was nominated in the competition category at Jaipur International Film Festival.

EMMA GLADSTONE, dancer and former artistic director of Dance Umbrella, passed away at the age of 63 on January 22, 2024.

Prof. Mohan Khokar's centenary celebrations
Mumbai: Feb 7
Vadodara: Feb 9 & 10
Ahmedabad: Feb 12

The Union government on Jan 25, 2024 released the list of winners of the PADMA AWARDS 2024, conferred by the Govt of India, to recognize exceptional contributions in various fields. The list comprises 5 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 110 Padma Shri Awards. 30 of the awardees are women. The list also includes 8 persons from the category of Foreigners / NRI / PIO / OCI and 9 posthumous awardees.
- PADMA VIBHUSHAN 2024
Vyjayantimala Bali (Bharatanatyam, Chennai)
Padma Subrahmanyam (Bharata Nrityam, Chennai)
- PADMA SHRI 2024
P V Sadanam Balakrishnan (Kalluvazhi Kathakali, Kerala)
Anupama Hoskere (puppetry, Bangalore)
Narayanan E P (Theyyam, Kannur)
Gaddam Sammaiah (Chindu Yakshaganam, Telangana)
Omprakash Sharma (Mach folk theatre, Madhya Pradesh)
Nepal Chandra Sutradhar (Purulia Chhau, mask maker, W Bengal, posthumous)
M Badrappan (Valli Oyil Kumi, Tamilnadu)
Baghabat Padhan (Sabda Nrutya, Odisha)


Prize winners of Madras Music Academy's17th Annual Dance Festival 2024
- Bharatanatyam solo (seniors)
G. Narendra: Best dancer
Meenakshi Srinivasan: Outstanding dancer
- Sub seniors - First lot
Mahati Kannan: Best dancer
Harinie Jeevitha: Outstanding dancer
- Sub seniors - Second lot
Jyotsna Jagannathan: Best dancer
KP Rakesh: Outstanding dancer
- Juniors
Bhavajan Kumar: Best dancer
Medha Hari: Outstanding dancer



G.Venu a performer, teacher and scholar of Kutiyattam has received the highest honour of Fellowship from Kerala Kalamandalam, a deemed University for the year 2022. The Fellowship encompasses a cash of Rs.50000, citation and silk shawl. G. Venu has devised the Navarasa Sadhana module as a transformative process for artistes seeking a deeper insight to the depths and diversity of human emotions. He is the founder of Natanakairali (Research and Performing Centre for Traditional Arts).



On the birth centenary celebrations of their founder Kartik Rajagopal on January 28, 2024, Chennai based Kartik Fine Arts presented KARTIK KALA SAMRAT award to Dr.Padma Subrahmanyam, at Narada Gana Sabha main hall, Chennai.



Kalamandalam Saraswathy received the KALA SARATHI - A CHARIOTEER OF ARTS AWARD by the World Forum for Art and Culture, Art of Living, at Bangalore on 26th January 2024.

Aurangabad based Mahagami's SARNGADEVA SAMMAN was conferred on eminent Manipuri Guru Darshana Jhaveri as a gesture of great appreciation for her lifelong commitment and contribution to the Indian Arts and Manipuri dance tradition, in the third week of January 2024.



The first PANDIT BIRJU MAHARAJ SAMMAN will be conferred by Kalashram on tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain on Feb 3, 2024 at Delhi’s Kamani auditorium.



Drishti Art Foundation presented the DRISHTI SRESHTA PURASKAR to Bharatanatyam Guru M R Krishnamurthy for his invaluable contributions to the field of Indian classical dance, on January 20, 2024 at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bangalore.


On January 14, 2024 Nalanda Dance Research Centre bestowed NALANDA'S KANAKA NARTANA PURASKAR 2023 on Dr. Jayashree Rajagopalan, Keka Sinha, Dr. Prakriti Bhaskar, Dr. Sandip Soparrkar, Vikram Kumar Bathina at its premises in Mumbai. The recipients of NALANDA BHARATA MUNI SAMMAN 2023 are Hema Malini, Darshana Jhaveri, Padma Sharma, Ashit Desai (music), Paresh Rawal (theatre).



Shreema Upadhyaya, disciple of P Praveen Kumar, received THE BEST DANCER award from Madras Music Academy (HCL concert series) on January 3, 2024, Chennai.



Bhavan's Chennai Chapter awarded EXCELLENCE IN BHARATANATYAM AWARD to Dr. Narthaki Nataraj and Zakir Hussain, on Jan 2, 2024.



Dance photographer R Deepak received the ELEGANCE IN MOTION award from Jatin Academy of Dance, Bengaluru, headed by Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dancer Archana Punyesh, on January 2, 2024 at Ravindra Kalakshetra.



Bala Devi Chandrashekar received the KALA VIPANCHEE AWARD from Vipanchee Trust on December 31, 2023 at Chennai.

Critics from The Guardian have compiled a list of how to be a better audience, and a couple of pointers for their theatre audiences apply to ours too. And we have people who not just let their phones ring, but answer them and chat while a show is on!

Writes Arifa Akbar:

Stop fake laughing
It might come from a place of generosity - sending out a reassuring signal to actors, making an effort to add to the atmosphere - but forced laughter is obvious, and en masse it has the ear-piercing sound of a road drill.

Put your smartwatch on dim
It's annoying to see them beaming around the auditorium every time someone moves a wrist.

Don't dawdle
Standing stock still in the middle of the lobby with your companions, especially after the bell has gone, obstructs others trying to get to their seats. The pre-show bustle is all part of the excitement but not when there's a wall of bodies refusing to budge.

Stop clapping so much
I mean, after every song at a musical ... It's not Pop Idol. I have seen actors freeze and wait for it to end before they can get on with the next scene. (For our audience we can add after every funny line!)

Notions of "classical" in Bharatanatyam: a cultural operation of the classes - arguments of the cosmopolitan Margi and indigenous Desi, repertoires of the Nayak period
- Dr. Swarnamalya Ganesh
Bharata's Natya Sastra elaborates on the dancing technique of Karanas. It is through this early work that we understand the place of dance in the various drama forms.

Aesthetics in education...The role of classical dance
- Sandhya Kiran, Bangalore
Our dance contributes to what defines us as a nation, a generation, a gender, a person.

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