The Punyah Dance Festival
My flagship festival is a multi-day deep dive into Indian classical dance. From Bharatanatyam to Odissi, we host premieres, workshops, and panel discussions designed to connect artists and audiences in real, messy, and wonderful ways.
Here is the full Day 1 schedule for the Punyah Dance Festival, Edition III. From the morning lamp lighting to a unique Bharatanatyam performance in Carnatic Music Format in the evening, the day is packed with diverse artistic events.
The schedule for Day 2 of our festival, detailing a full day of events from 9 AM to 9 PM. It includes lecture demonstrations like "The living voice of tradition Bala bani today" and the premiere of our production "Maya".
A quick video announcement for the second edition of the Punyah Dance Festival. I'm personally inviting everyone to join us for two days of workshops, panel discussions, and performances by eminent artists at Ravindra Kalakshetra.
Here I am, sharing the schedule for the first day of the Punyah Dance Festival. I'm also letting everyone know that the festival is available to watch online, so you can join us from anywhere in the world.
As part of the festival's educational offerings, I conduct workshop sessions myself. This poster details my session on the process of creating a dance production, sharing insights from my own journey as a curator and performer.
Panel discussions are a key part of the festival, fostering dialogue within the arts community. This poster announces the Day 1 discussion featuring esteemed artists Deepika Potdar, Vinay Varanasi, and Subha Viswanath, which I had the pleasure of curating.
We showcase a variety of classical forms at the festival. This poster highlights a solo Kuchipudi recital by Shri Sai Venkata Gangadhar, one of the morning performances on Day 1.
About this collection
Managing a festival like this involves more than just a schedule, it is about balancing artistic vision with the inevitable chaos of live production—the apashakunam that pops up, the technical glitches, and the last-minute changes. My goal is to hold that space for you, so you can focus on the performances and the community while I manage the craft of bringing it all together.
The Punyah Dance Festival is not a passive viewing experience. It is a living lab where the line between the stage and the audience blurs. When I curate this, I look for more than just technical precision; I look for the 'fire' in the performance. Whether it is a solo Bharatanatyam recital, a deep-dive lecture demonstration, or an intense panel discussion, every session is designed to foster a dialogue about the future of classical dance.
We typically host these across key cultural hubs in Bengaluru, including Ravindra Kalakshetra, ensuring that the environment supports both the intimacy of a solo recital and the energy of a full-scale ensemble production. You will find everything from traditional margam presentations to experimental retellings of classics like 'Nagamandala' or 'Maya'.
My approach to curation is grounded in 'Nritya, Kalike, Karma'—dance, learning, and action. This means the festival includes hands-on workshops where we dissect the process of creating a dance production, spontaneous jam sessions, and dialogues that don't shy away from the hard questions in the arts community. If you are looking to collaborate, present a new work, or simply engage with a community that treats classical dance as a living, breathing discipline rather than a museum piece, this is where we start.
Parshwanath Upadhye
I didn't wait for a stage, so I built one. Through the Punyah Dance Festival, I work to bridge the gap between performers and audiences by creating an environment that feels less like a formal recital and more like a community lab where art is alive and essential.
Looking for specific artistic events?
Explore other categories or find details on upcoming performances and workshops in our database.
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