The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) has announced the NCPA Mumbai Dance Season 2026, a month-long community engagement initiative that brings together India’s diverse dance traditions through performances, workshops, seminars, talks, and presentations across the city. Launched in 2018 in collaboration with Mumbai’s dance fraternity, the season is envisioned as a shared platform fostering dialogue between varied dance practices and audiences.
The 2026 edition offers an immersive journey through India’s dance heritage, spanning tribal, folk, and classical forms, and featuring both distinguished artistes and emerging talents. A key highlight of the season is Lok Gatha, which foregrounds tribal and folk traditions, alongside a grand closing presentation showcasing Indian classical dance by noted exponents.
Lok Gatha: Seraikella Chhau
Experimental Theatre | February 12, 2026 | 6:30 pm
As part of Lok Gatha, the NCPA will present Seraikella Chhau by Acharya Chhau Nrutya Bichitra, a leading institution dedicated to the practice and transmission of this distinctive masked dance form from Jharkhand.
Originating in the Seraikella region of Jharkhand, Seraikella Chhau is rooted in indigenous dance and martial traditions. Influenced by the warrior community, the Paikas, and later cultural interactions such as Gotipua from Odisha, the form evolved a refined movement vocabulary and a wide thematic range encompassing folk narratives, mythological episodes, and abstract ideas. Drawing inspiration from nature, daily life, and animals, it remains closely linked to community rituals, particularly those associated with Chaitra Parva. The stylised mask—its most recognisable feature—enables performers to convey character and emotion with restraint and precision. Along with the Mayurbhanj and Purulia styles, Chhau was inscribed in 2010 as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Founded by Guru Lingaraj Acharya in Seraikella and later in Delhi, Acharya Chhau Nrutya Bichitra traces its lineage to the Purtosahi Akhada, one of Seraikella’s eight traditional schools. The institution has played a significant role in sustaining the tradition, with its artistes representing India at major international festivals through the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and independent tours. The presentation will feature a sequence of choreographic works ranging from devotional invocations and poetic abstractions to narratives from the Mahabharata, accompanied by traditional musicians and performed by the troupe’s senior dancers.
Age Recommendation: 6+
Duration: Approximately 75 minutes
Tickets:
Members: Rs. 270 & Rs. 180
Non-Members: Rs. 300 & Rs. 200
Box Office Opens: January 9, 2026 (Members) | January 12, 2026 (Public)
Closing Day – Finale of the Mumbai Dance Season
Indian Classical Dance by Noted Exponents
Tata Theatre | February 15, 2026 | 4:00 pm
The Mumbai Dance Season will conclude with an evening of Indian classical dance curated by Kashmira Trivedi and Dr Suman Badami. The finale brings together multiple classical forms—Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kathak, and Mohiniyattam—in a carefully structured programme reflecting both stylistic diversity and depth of training.
The evening will feature group and solo presentations by senior artistes and trained ensembles, culminating in a collective finale drawing on themes of devotion and shared tradition. Kashmira Trivedi, a Bharatanatyam performer, choreographer, and teacher with over 34 years of experience, is a Doordarshan-graded artiste and the founder of Takshashila Nrityakala Mandir. Dr Suman Badami is a Bharatanatyam dancer and scholar with a PhD in dance aesthetics from the University of Mumbai and serves as Director of the Natya Vimarsha Centre for Dance.
Together, the programmes across the Mumbai Dance Season 2026 present a cohesive overview of India’s dance continuum, from folk and ritual practices to classical traditions.
