The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) has announced Spectrum 2026—A Festival of Dances from Around the World, its annual dance showcase bringing together Indian classical traditions and contemporary international works. Scheduled across January 30, February 14 and February 22, 2026, the festival will be presented at the Tata Theatre and the Experimental Theatre in Mumbai.
Over the years, Spectrum has evolved into a platform where diverse movement vocabularies intersect, allowing classical forms to be revisited through individual artistic perspectives while contemporary practices explore new relationships between body, space and sound. The 2026 edition reflects this balance through performances spanning Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kathak and international contemporary dance, along with two pedagogical masterclasses under the NCPA’s Nrityagurukul initiative.
The festival opens on Friday, January 30, at the Tata Theatre with a double bill featuring Bahukriya, a Bharatanatyam presentation by Rama Vaidyanathan and her troupe, followed by Khańkhanā – The Sound of Dancing Feet, an Odissi ensemble work by Surupa Sen with the Nrityagram ensemble. Both works remain rooted in classical frameworks while reflecting the artistes’ sustained engagement with form as a living, evolving practice.
On Saturday, February 14, the focus shifts to Odissi and Kathak with Ānanda-Rasam – The Essence of Bliss by Ratikant Mohapatra and Srjan, and Ram Lalla by Shama Bhate and her institution Nadroop. Mohapatra’s work draws on decades of institution-building and choreographic practice in Odissi, while Bhate’s Kathak is shaped by a lifetime of performance and teaching rooted in the Jaipur tradition.
The festival concludes on Sunday, February 22, at the Experimental Theatre with BRICKS, a Swiss contemporary dance production by choreographer Nicole Morel, featuring music by Colombian composer Violeta Cruz. Conceived as a work of physical poetry, the production combines sculptural visual design with movement to explore structure, space and human presence.
Extending beyond performance, Spectrum 2026 will also feature two masterclasses. The first, Techniques for Longevity in an Indian Dance Career, is a two-day session led by Surupa Sen on January 28 and 29, supported by Bank of America, and is open to practitioners across Indian classical dance traditions. The second, Orchestrating Stillness and Movement: Sthāna, Gati, and the Dynamic Function of Cārīs in the Dancer-Actor’s Training, is a two-day Marga Natya masterclass by Piyal Bhattacharya on February 18 and 19, examining stillness and movement as foundational elements of performance.
With its blend of classical depth, contemporary inquiry and pedagogical engagement, Spectrum 2026 continues NCPA’s commitment to presenting dance as a living, evolving art form within a global context.
