Jun 13 2025 to Jun 13 2025 7:30 p.m.

Price: Rs 500 onwards Book/Buy

Where

Chowdiah Memorial Hall

16th Cross Rd, Vyalikaval, Kodandarampura, Malleshwaram 560003

Event Description

Mayuri Upadhya & Nritarutya present “Bhakti”, a multilingual, multidisciplinary immersive dance-theatre production that weaves together the soulful legacies of 13 Indian saints and mystics. The production will premiere on June 13, 2025 at the Chowdiah Hall, Bengaluru.

Known for their pioneering work in contemporary Indian dance, Mayuri Upadhya and her company Nritarutya bring to life Bhakti — a powerful confluence of dance, music, and theatre that honours the spiritual legacy and profound wisdom of Indian Saints, Poets, and Mystics, across India. With Bhakti, Nritarutya imprints its vision to bring forth a production live to the audience of Bangalore after 14 years. The years embody research, knowledge and understanding of elements that shape the field of live-production.

Rooted in deep research and artistic exploration, Bhakti traces the essence of devotion as expressed by voices that challenged the status quo — transcending caste, religion, language, and gender. Each piece in Bhakti is centered around one evocative work by each mystic, interpreted through Nritarutya’s expressive, movement-rich vocabulary that seamlessly blends classical influences with contemporary expression.

“Bhakti is not a destination—it is a stirring within, a surrender, a seeking. With this production, I set out to trace the emotional landscapes of devotion through the voices of India’s poet-saints. Bhakti is both deeply personal and profoundly universal—this work is my attempt to embody that timeless rhythm in movement. This is not just a performance—it is an invitation to pause, to look inward, and to reconnect with the enduring forces of love, faith, and expression,” says – Mayuri Upadhya, Artistic Director, Nritarutya

The production will feature works of: Purandara Dasa, Akkamahadevi, Kabir, Lal Ded, Rabindranath Tagore, Tukaram, Andal, Tulsidas, Meerabai, Namdev, Sadasiva Brahmendra, Guru Nanak, and Basavanna.

Join us for Bhakti is a heartfelt tribute and celebration of divine love, spiritual awakening, and the human longing for connection.

Event Details:

Date: Friday, June 13

Time: 7:30 PM

Venue: Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bangalore

Tickets: https://tikkl.com/nritarutya/c/bhakti-1306/

For bulk tickets please contact - +919900157591

Media contact: Sridevi Rao – 9844167547/9886673090/9448701953

ABOUT MAYURI UPADHYA

Mayuri Upadhya is a visionary choreographer, curator, entrepreneur, and thought leader in contemporary Indian dance. Renowned for redefining traditional forms through a modern lens, her work weaves classical Indian movement with a contemporary vocabulary to tell timeless stories - visceral, intelligent, and transcendent, weaving emotional depth with arresting visuals. A force in Indian performance art, Mayuri Upadhya is known for pushing the vocabulary of Indian dance beyond its traditional contours.

She is the recipient of the Best Original Choreographer award by Broadway World for the celebrated musical Mughal-e-Azam. As the lead choreographer for The Great Indian Musical: Civilization to Nation—now in its third season and premiering at Lincoln Center, New York—Mayuri continues to leave an indelible mark on global stages. A three-time curator at the Serendipity Arts Festival and the Artistic Director of Nritarutya Dance Company, she seamlessly blends performance, curation, and pedagogy to shape the future of dance.

From large-scale spectacles to intimate stage pieces, Mayuri’s choreography has consistently defied genres, telling stories of humanity with pulse and poignance. She’s worked across stage, film, television, and festivals, bringing a nuanced voice to contemporary Indian movement — one that is rooted, innovative, and globally relevant.

More about Mayuri Upadhya - Mayuri Upadhya - Artist Bio.pdf

ABOUT MADHURI UPADHYA

A graduate of Fine Arts in Painting and a Reiki practitioner, Madhuri’s artworks are serious, yet playful, colourful, yet sombre, earthly, yet spiritual. While her relationship with dance and art are unique in their own way, they also inspire one another. Madhuri Upadhya is one of the co-founders of Nritarutya, an Indian Contemporary Dance company and plays a significant role in shaping the dance vocabulary of the company. Her Work: She has her foundation in Bharathanatyam, Kathak and Contemporary dance with Nritarutya.

Madhuri has won the Rajaratnam scholarship in painting and The Uday Shankar Choreography award of Attendance. She has created work through Nritarutya for ‘Make In India in Germany’ commissioned by Sri Narendra Modi, which won the bronze medal for our country in the ‘Best Cultural Presentation’ category.

She represented the country and performed for the Queen of England; Elizabeth II, at the Jubilee celebrations in Windsor Castle, London. Her choreography at ‘Mughal-e-azam’ the theatre musical, has won the ‘Broadway India Award’ for Best Original choreography. She has performed for the 70th birthday of Sri Amitabh Bachchan in a musical inspired by Sri Hari Vansh Rai Bachchan’s poem “Madhushala”

She is currently working as the Associate Choreographer for ‘The Great Indian Musical’, the largest ever theatrical production, created by ‘Tony Award’winning crew at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre.

ABOUT NRITARUTYA

Founded in 2000 by Mayuri and Madhuri Upadhya, Nritarutya is one of India’s leading contemporary dance companies. Renowned for crafting visceral, innovative, and ethereal experiences, Nritarutya expands the boundaries of tradition and reimagines the role of dance in modern India.

Nritarutya - modern storytellers of a changing nation India, the primary focus is to create a global language for India, Indian movement and present it to the global audience. Nritarutya continues to push creative frontiers—building bridges between heritage and innovation, the sacred and the contemporary. Under Mayuri’s artistic direction, the company during these years has performed at prestigious platforms across India and the world carving a niche name and a strong presence in the movement community.