Geeta Chandran is celebrated as one of the leading figures in Indian classical dance across the world today. She is known for having cultivated a personal vision for the form which pushes its scope beyond traditionally received knowledge to reflect contemporary reality and enhance its universality. Aside from being a prolific dancer, she is a trained Carnatic vocalist and is known for her work in television, video and film, theatre, choreography, dance education, dance activism and journalism.
She is the Founder-President of NATYA VRIKSHA, NEW DELHI, where since 1991, she has fostered art education, mentoring and development of young artists. Geeta’s holistic pedagogy integrates classical dance learning with other diverse disciplines and values. She champions tradition, transcending linguistic barriers, and creating meaningful choreographies contributing to wider societal dialogue. As an arts administrator, mentor and philanthropist, Geeta supports various causes and is greatly committed to arts education in formal curricula, and leads social campaigns. In her five-decade career committed to Dance, Geeta has been honoured with the Padmashri (2007); the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2016) and the Tagore National Fellowship (2017-2018). She also curated the Dance section at Serendipity Arts Festival 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Tanusree Shankar is the choreographer and the chief inspiration of the academy and troupe bearing her name. Tanusree, who trained for seven years under Amala Shankar, has developed a kind of choreography, which gives concrete shape to the music that inspires it and is based on the Uday Shankar’s technique of “New Dance.”
She choreographed several events, including the Asian Games, the Festival of India in the USSR and the Wills World Cup Cricket Championships. Tanusree choreographed an Indo–French Ballet called Padmavati directed by Indian filmmaker, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, in Paris in 2008. She curated Dance at Serendipity Arts Festival twice, along with India’s Premier Curated Interdisciplinary Arts Festival and a Munjal initiative for creativity that premiered in December 2016 in Goa. Recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2011, Tanusree has choreographed for numerous fashion shows and films in addition to the ballets presented by her troupe. Her dance company has toured extensively to more than 40 countries, performing at prestigious theatres, such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C., Epcot Center in Florida and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.

Ranjana Dave is an artist, writer, editor, and occasionally, a curator. In her work, she explores how we build relationships with other people, ideas, objects and ecologies—and what makes us social beings. Recent projects include the book Body / Language (2024), which explores the relationship between language and the body in society, and 5-4-3-2-1 (The Elemental You, 2024), a participatory installation at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. She edited the award-winning anthology Improvised Futures: Encountering the Body in Performance (Tulika Books/ West Heavens, 2021). Across independent and institutional roles in the arts, she works with text, movement, time, space and people. She also curated Dance projects at Serendipity Arts Festival in 2018.

Jayachandran is a visionary choreographer, dancer, and educator, renowned for his transformative contributions to contemporary dance in India. Trained in a variety of disciplines—including Contemporary Dance, Ballet, Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Kalarippayattu, Capoeira, Tai Chi as well as Indian and African folk dances—his blending of traditional Indian forms with international contemporary techniques has earned him global recognition. His choreographic works, often infused with music, visual arts, and technology, explore social themes and cultural narratives. 

He has been featured in major international festivals and venues, earning acclaim for their innovation and storytelling. Palazhy is also the founder of Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, a leading institution for dance education, research, performance, stage technologies, and the Attakkalari India Biennial, South Asia’s premier contemporary dance festival. He also leads the Incubation Centre for Arts and Media (ICAM), which supports original productions through residencies, mentorships, and international collaborations.