Project Overview
Stand-up natyam is a genre-defying dance theatre work that blends the physical vocabulary and dramaturgy of Bharatanatyam with the relatability, relevance and immediacy of stand-up comedy through collaborative performance sets. It’s an artistic experiment and cultural intervention - one that seeks to subvert expectations around classical Indian art forms and expand its accessibility. By combining Bharatanatyam with elements of mime, live crowd work, spoken word, beatboxing, and rap, stand-up natyam creates a platform where diverse performance languages not only coexist but actively enrich one another. This isn't fusion for fusion’s sake - it's a studied, dramaturgically-rooted encounter between widely different artists and art forms that upends binaries between classical and popular, sacred and profane, traditional and contemporary.
Expected Impact
"As a practitioner of Bharatanatyam, I believe it has immense potential to be crafted for a much larger audience base. For far too long I have heard a phrase that never sat right with me - “Classical dance is for the classes and not the masses”. This project is my response to such notions that gatekeep classical forms. It contributes to global conversations around decolonizing art spaces, reinterpreting heritage, and resisting classical elitism in the arts. It also uses comedic writing, sensitively approached, as a tool to bring into public conversation important questions that concern us in the ‘now’, in a way that is lighthearted yet deeply human. In an Indian context, it speaks to the urgent need to democratize classical forms and relieve the boundaries of style. To ensure our art forms not only survive, but thrive - by making sure we as artists evolve with the form to remain relevant, resonant, and radically inclusive.
Applicant Background
Kavya Ganesh is a Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer committed to bringing her form into contemporary dialogue. Noted for her innate grace and nov ideas, she has performed across India, USA and Europe doing both solo performances as well as ensemble shows. Some of her notable performances include the NMACC Mumbai, Esplanade Singapore, SWEAT festival Hong Kong, Erasing Borders NYC and many more. She is also the dancer for world-renowned choreographer, Akram Khan’s latest dance work - “Thikra”. She is a graduate of Literature and Performing arts from Ashoka university and was trained in the ‘Conservatory for Actors’ drama program at Yale University. She established Kavya Ganesh Company in 2025 with the aim of creating unique live performances experiences rooted in Bharatanatyam, theatre and literature.