About

Navanritya

Manjushri Chaki Sircar and her daughter Ranjabati had redefined the idioms of contemporary dance in India with their own Navanritya or neo-dance technique. Emphasizing the female body, this dance style has drawn from Kathakali, Chhau, Manipuri, Bharatanatyam and Kalari. Navanritya consists of both bold,crisp, and graceful movements that are used to convey stories or social messages.

Guru Manjushri Chaki Sircar formed the Dancers’ Guild – a company that took contemporary dance to new heights with their productions on Tagore’s dance dramas, and other social issues. This unique dance form challenges the dancer to explore the newest frontiers of dance by drawing inspiration from diverse classical forms, folk styles, non-traditional martial arts, yoga and even daily rituals and gestures.

Navanritya is taught in two levels at Nandanik - the junior group comprising of students aged 11 to 14, and the senior group consisting of students aged 15 and up. Admission to this demanding dance is based on audition with preference given to students with at least 5 years of training in any one Indian classical dance form.