How Attakkalari put contemporary dance on Bengaluru’s cultural map

As Attakkalari marks 25 years, founder Jayachandran Palazhy reflects on the company’s journey—from bicycle rehearsals in Bengaluru to global stages—and outlines his vision for a Centre for Innovation in Performing Arts.

As renowned contemporary dance company Attakkalari celebrates its silver jubilee years this year, founder Jayachandran Palazhy sees “two interconnected strands” that have shaped the organisation’s journey over the last 25 years: key institutional breakthroughs and defining creative milestones.

“In our earlier days of setting up in Bengaluru, the dancers and I used to travel to our make shift studio on bicycles and I even used to cook lunch for them,” he says, adding that things changed once funding came in from the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (now Tata Trusts). This support enabled the team to establish Attakkalari’s first permanent base in the city’s Wilson Garden wherein an old garage and workshop was converted into studios, offices, and technology spaces. “That modest beginning made it possible to launch long-term initiatives such as the Diploma in Movement Arts and Pedagogy and Sankshipta.” 

Sonnet of Samsara | Photo Credit: SAMUEL RAJKUMAR

Today, Attakkalari functions from a four-storey rented building with three studios, a theatre, café and a space for their tech division. Now in the works is the Centre for Innovation in Performing Arts (CIPA) that will include two indoor theatres, a large amphitheatre, multiple studios, an audio-visual library, and an incubation centre for new works. “Dedicated facilities will house a Kalarippayattu pit and wellness centre, a stage technology resource centre, exhibition spaces, and a restaurant,” explains Jayachandran.

To commemorate the silver jubilee, “a double bill that reflects both our roots and our global outlook” has been planned. The evening will open with Geometry of Becoming, a 25-minute outdoor, site-specific work inspired by the sacred geometry of rangoli.

“Reflecting Bengaluru’s diversity and creative energy, the piece treats Rangoli as a metaphor for performance. The choreography is imagined as tributaries with distinct geometric forms, movement vocabularies, and musical identities,” Jayachandran says of the piece he has choreographed.