Vyuti was conceived in 2013 after a long period of introspection and research that Aranyani was conducting on the solo and group dynamics of Indian classical dance. Reflecting on what it means to be a group of dancers on stage, Aranyani wanted to explore possibilities of interactions between dancers through Bharatanatyam, without compromising on its form, technique or vocabulary.

Inspired by all the journeys Aranyani had – her fundamental training and experiences with her guru Leela Samson, her years of experiencing contemporary dance and other movement vocabularies, her interactions with various inspiring people during her research on dance, and her current concerns with Indian classical dance – Aranyani wanted to push the idea of group work in classical dance to a different level using ideas of contact, touch and interweaving bodies. The interweaving bodies also leads to a renegotiation between the multiple and singular in dance.

And thus Vyuti was born…

Vyuti, which means ‘weave’, also emerged out of Aranyani’s dual experience of contemporary and classical dance. In a time when many dancers had turned away from classical dance in favour of contemporary and modern forms, claiming that the former was losing relevance, had too many restrictions and limited scope for creativity given the narratives, Aranyani felt drawn further towards Bharatanatyam and its modernity by viewing traditional Bharatanatyam through a contemporary lens.

With a strong belief that Bharatanatyam is constantly evolving, modern and secular while simultaneously being quite traditional, ancient and spiritual, Vyuti emerged out of a need to explore and display the modernity inherent in this ancient classical dance form. Vyuti hopes to promote Indian classical dance in a way that reaches out not only to those who adore it, but also those who have turned their backs on classical dance in India.

Vyuti currently consists of its Artistic Director, Aranyani along with dancers Aswathy Manoharan, Priya Kaul, Tony Aloysius Pius, Archana Nair and Akanksha Tadapatri Ramesh. Vyuti’s debut production ‘Vālayasya – Introspections‘ is Vyuti’s take on some of the elements of the Bharatanatyam repertoire or margam.

Do visit Vyuti’s website.

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You can catch a glimpse of Vyuti’s work on YouTube as well!