New choreographies celebrate classical traditions | Delhi News

The love for classical dance drew a full house to Kamani Auditorium recently for the opening evening of the Festival of New Choreographies: Kalayatra 2026, a five-day celebration of India’s living classical dance traditions.

Conceived and curated by Odissi and Bharatanatyam exponent Sonal Mansingh, the festival brings together new choreographic works by ten dance institutions in the capital. The festival is jointly presented by the Department of Art, Culture & Languages, Government of NCT of Delhi, and the Centre for Indian Classical Dances (Shri Kamakhya Kalapeeth).

The opening production, Amruth-Manthan, choreographed and directed by Sonal Mansingh, depicted the episode of the cosmic churning of the ocean for nectar, drawn from ancient scriptures.

Conveying the moral that righteousness ultimately prevails, the production featured dancers trained in Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Mohiniattam and Kathakali, coming together in the performance.

The evening concluded with the pulsating beats of chenda and cymbals as artistes from the International Kathakali Centre presented Athijeevanam, a production centred on nature conservation. The work was directed by Kathakali exponent Sadanam Balakrishnan.

‘A guru’s responsibility is to allow art to breathe, evolve’Speaking on the occasion, Sonal Mansingh said, “This festival stands for that delicate balance, where the past is honoured with reverence and the present expressed with responsibility. The guru’s role is not to preserve art as a museum piece, but to allow it to breathe, evolve and respond to society. Kalayatra is a collective offering by gurus who understand this duty.”