Jyotirgamaya: A Seagull’s quest for freedom portrayed through Bharatanatyam

About five decades ago, classical dance forms moved transitioned from temples and royal courts to the concert stage. Pioneers such as Rukmini Devi Arundale and Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra were instrumental in this change. made this transition possible.

As classical dance gained popularity, artists artistes sought eeded newthemes and narratives to keep the art form to resonate with evolving audience sensibilities. relevant to changing audience tastes and sensibilities. At the same time, it was also important to retain the purity of the classical style.

So, dancers began to delve deeply into religious texts to bring lesser-known aspects of Indian philosophy to life through dance dramas. However, some leading dancers adopted modern, long-form novels for their productions with an aim to reach modern audiences. One such interesting production was ‘Jyotirgamaya’, an adaptation of Richard Bach’s allegorical novella, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, presented recently at The Music Academy as part of the Provoke Art Festival 2026.