The Dance Center and Natya Dance Theatre Present
Natya Dance theatre’s 50th Anniversary
Thursday and Friday, March 19 and 20, 202 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 21, 2026 at 12 noon
Tickets: General Admission ($30); Non-Columbia Student Ticket ($10); Free to Columbia College Chicago students.
Natya Dance Theatre (NDT) celebrates 50 years and continues their tradition of sharing important milestones in its rich history at the Dance Center.
In 2001, Natya Dance Theatre made its Dance Center debut and marked NDT’s 25th anniversary with a three-day international conference, Bharatanatyam in the Diaspora, convening scholars and artists from India, Europe, and North America. Subsequent NDT engagements at the Dance Center featured the world premieres of Alakshaya: The Invisible Veil (2007), Varna - Colors of White (2015 – NDT’s 40th anniversary season), and INAI - The Connection (2019).
Rooted in tradition, shaped by vision, and guided by rasa, Natya Dance Theatre celebrates 50 years of preserving and perpetuating bharata natyam in all its classical rigor, and moving the art form in innovative directions to foster cultural exchange through dance. NDT’s contemporary interpretations incorporate dynamic body movement, rhythmic footwork, hand gestures and facial expressions to convey meaning and emotion that create rasa, aesthetic experiences that spiritually transform audiences worldwide.
Banner image courtesy of Natya Dance Theatre, photo by Sibu Kutty
