December 5, 2024
The Artist
Jyotsna Shourie wears her dedication to her art lightly, but there is no mistaking her deep abiding commitment to Bharatanatyam . Learning at the age of 6, at Sri Rajarajeshwari Bharatanatya Kala Mandir Mumbai, she humbly acknowledges the huge debt she owes her Guru Sri K. Kalyanasunderam who taught her the intricacies of the dance technique, its rules and methodology and honed her performance skills. Under his mentorship she performed her ‘arangetram’ when she was 10 years old. The Times of India prophesied that she would “emerge a star as luminous as any in the dance firmament”.

For the next six decades Jyotsna has spared no effort in propagating dance, widening its frontiers and making it accessible to a larger community . She has performed as a soloist as well as with her students in many parts of India and abroad, thereby acting as a cultural ambassador for the dance form.

As a soloist she has performed in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Turkey, The United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Thailand , Malaysia and Indonesia.
The Teacher
In 1990 she established The Dance Centre in Delhi, as a place for learning the skills and values of Bharatanatyam. In a comfortable and amicable atmosphere she gently prompts her young students into the complex and stringent form of classical dance, initiating them into the 3 different aspects namely abstract, expressive and thematic dance. She develops in them a love for the art, a sense of aesthetics and grace, and a self confidence that comes with the stage performances.

Many of her students have graduated to perform their arangetram or solo debuts and have progressed and delved deeper into the art to perform in dance ballets and performances conceptualized and choreographed by her.
The Choreographer
Every project by Jyotsna Shourie reflects her powerful vision of her art. Hers is a classical dance company that brings a contemporary approach and a rich vocabulary to the art of Bharatanatyam. She strives to project creative excellence with a global vision in the hope of widening the frontiers of classical dance. Many dance dramas have been choreographed, some more traditional and others with contemporary themes. She has introduced audio-visual media, carols and gospel singing, bhajans, Chinese modern dance and even tap dancing into her productions. Each one takes her closer towards her goal of widening the boundaries of Bharatnatyam while keeping its form aesthetic and pure.
The Curator
The Divinity Series a new initiative that was introduced in 2013 where outstanding artists of excellence in dance and music are presented to the public of Delhi. These have included Rama Vaidyanathan from Delhi (Bharatanatyam), Surupa Sen and Bijayani Sathpathy of Nityagram from Bangalore (Odissi), Mythali Prakash from USA (Bharatanatyam), Parshwanath Upadhya from Bangalore, (Bharatanatyam), Sri O.S. Arun from Chennai (Carnatic Vocal), Kaushiki Chakraborty from Calcutta (Vocal), Meenakshi Srinivasan from Chennai (Bharatanatyam), Vidha Lal from Delhi (Kathak) Lakshmi Parthasarathy from Chennai ( Bharatanatyam ) and others. The Divinity Series is an ongoing Festival.
Learning From The Masters
This is a teaching workshop where established dancers like Malavika Sarukkai, Bragha Bissell and Parshwanath Upadhye have been invited to teach and interact with serious dancers in weekend workshops to enable them to reach the next level of expertise.
Recent Performances



Birth Of Jesus
Date: 23 December 2018
Venue: The India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
A fusion of Bharatanatyam and Modern Chinese dance in collaboration with the Alan and Becky Dance Academy (Hong Kong) along with contemporary carols sung in English to celebrate the Nativity.

Face To Face
Date: 22 September 2018
Venue: The Shiv Nadar School, Gurgaon
A dance theatre dialogue between Sita and Draupadi. Sponsored by The Aravali Centre for Art and Culture

Margam
Date: 21 July 2018
Venue: The Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi
A traditional performance by senior disciples of The Dance Centre

Learning From The Masters
Date: 5-6 May 2018
Venue: West End Club, New Delhi.
A 2 day intensive dance workshop

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