At Nrityagram dance village, dance is a way of life. Following an impossible dream, the founder, Protima Gauri - an exquisite Odissi dancer herself - converted ten acres of farmland into an ideal setting for the study, practice and teaching of classical dance. Reminiscent of ancient ashrams where gurus imparted not only technique but also a philosophy of being, it is a creative space where dancers, musicians and choreographers live together, sharing their skills and developing their art. The dancers study yoga, meditation, the martial arts as well as Sanskrit, mythology, literature. As knowledge passes from guru to disciple, the continuity of the classical arts is ensured.
 
The outside world, too, is an integral part of Nrityagram.  Choreographers, movement specialists, sculptors, painters, writers, musicians and theatre people from all over the world, frequently visit the village to perform and give workshops and seminars on their art. Nrityagram's proudest achievement is its annual spring festival, Vasantahabba, an all night performance of music and dance, the roster of which includes some of the greatest names in India, attended by over forty thousand enthusiastic spectators streaming in from surrounding villages - and beyond.
 
The Nrityagram Dance Ensemble is regarded worldwide as one of the foremost dance companies of India. With exceptional synchronicity, compelling physicality and emotional honesty, the ensemble has earned national and international acclaim for its ability to redefine both dance and theater, to create and communicate with powerful imagery and captivating movement.

Odissi is a dance of love and passion, in an everlasting synthesis of divinity and humanity that has its origins in the temples of Orissa in North East India. Odissi is marked by a sculpturesque sensuousness that transports viewers to enchanted worlds of magic and spirituality. Since 1996, the year of their life-changing New York debut, they have toured the US annually. They have performed at sold-out shows from New York to Hawaii and  Bozeman, MT to Key West, FL.
 
In '03 and '04, their soloists were invited to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (at Dance Base - National Center for Dance). In addition, the Ensemble has performed in Denmark, Holland, Portugal, the Middle-east, Singapore, Japan, etc.
 
Although steeped in and dedicated to ancient practice, Nrityagram dancers are also at the forefront carrying Indian dance into the twenty-first century.  Thanks to grants from the National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts, they not only develop new work, which explores creative ways to expand on tradition, but also are able to commission music from leading composers of Indian classical music, like Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi of Orissa, and the brothers Ganesh Kumaresh from south India.
 
Their first full-length production, Sri - In Search of the Goddess, premiered in New Delhi in 2001and in the US in 2002. It was made possible by the Doris Duke Fund for Dance of the National Dance Project. Sri - In Search of the Goddess toured the United States extensively in 2002 - 2003 to great critical acclaim.
 
The next production, Ansh, which premiered in Denver in 2005, consisted of a re-conception of a typical Odissi recital, which normally progresses from mangalacharan (an invocation), through pallavi (pure dance) and traditional abhinaya (interpretive verses), to moksh ('dance of liberation'). Included in the US Tour 2005 was a week long run at the Joyce Theater, New York.
 
Sacred Space, which was made possible by the Doris Duke Fund for Dance of the National Dance Project, premiered in Chennai in December 2005 and toured the United States for six months in 2006, including stops at Spoleto festival, Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival, etc.