Nrityagram, the dance village was founded by Protima Gauri the outskirts of Bangalore in the year1990. 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. 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.

SURUPA SEN (Artistic Director, choreographer, soloist) was the first student at Nrityagram, where she began her Odissi training with the late Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra. She also studied with Protima Gauri, founder of Nrityagram, and Abhinaya withGuru Kalanidhi Narayanan. As a child she studied Bharatanatyam.

Surupa has performed in solo recital and ensemble all over India, North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Far-East. She has choreographed Śrī In Search of the Goddess, Ansh, Sacred Space and Pratima: Reflection. She received the Raza Foundation Award for Excellence in Dance in 2007. And the Yagnaraman Award from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai in 2008.

BIJAYINI SATPATHY (Director of Odissi gurukul, soloist)joined the Orissa Dance Academy in Bhubaneshwar at the age of 7, where she trained for 13 years and joined Nrityagram in 1993 where she came under the guidance of Protima Gauri, and has collaborated with Surupa Sen in their productions.

Bijayini has performed alone, and with the ensemble, all over the world and has received national and international recognition including the Mahari Award given to the best Odissi dancer of the year, the Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar  given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and the Yagnaraman Award from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai .

PAVITHRA REDDY (soloist)) came as part of the outreach programme in 1990, from a village near Nrityagram. She has learned Odissi under the tutelage of Surupa Sen and Bijayini Satpathy and been a part of the ensemble since 1993.

LYNNE FERNANDEZ (lighting director, Executive Director Nrityagram) has been with Nrityagram since 1993. Among the first practicing light professionals in India, she has worked as actress and light designer with leading directors. Her work in theatre has also been featured internationally.