The Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA), India’s national academy for music, dance and drama, is expanding its reach and accessibility with the development of a new Regional Centre in Hyderabad, Telangana.
- Opening in 2024, this center will provide critical resources for both professional training and community engagement with the performing arts.
- Through its facilities spaces, educational programming in local art forms, and outreach efforts, the Hyderabad centre aims to nurture the next generation of artistic talent while also making the arts more available across socioeconomic groups in the region.
- This forward-thinking investment will allow SNA to further its mission nationwide.
Spreading the Arts to Diverse Areas
Addressing the Need for Access
A driving goal behind the new Regional Centre is bringing arts education and resources to diverse socioeconomic groups in Hyderabad and the surrounding areas.
- As a metropolitan city with over 12 million residents, Hyderabad has a growing working class keen to access cultural enrichment opportunities.
- The SNA leadership has emphasized accessibility priorities in establishing the new location, including transportation arrangements and discounted programming.
- Proposed outreach efforts mean performances and workshops traveling directly into Hyderabad’s neighborhoods as well. Students can soon access quality instruction near their own communities, paving the way for a new generation of artists.
Promoting Local Art Forms
While drawing the best teaching talent in classical and folk arts from across India, the Hyderabad Center will place special emphasis on preserving and nurturing the traditional music, dance and performance disciplines unique to Telangana culture.
- The curriculum plans involve intensive instruction in Hyderabad’s indigenous forms like Perini Sivatandavam, an ancient dance tradition honoring Lord Shiva combined with martial arts techniques, as well as the rural folk arts drawn from the state’s distinctive villages.
- Well-equipped spaces for teaching Telangana’s arts make the Hyderabad location a natural home both for sustaining homegrown talent and attracting new enthusiasts.
- The commitment to sharing cultural history with audiences everywhere will fuel launching touring workshops and ensembles down the road.
Facilities to Nurture the Next Generation
Spaces to Learn and Experiment The new facilities provide state-of-the-art rehearsal studios for disciplines like classical Carnatic vocal music, traditional instruments like mridangam, spacious dance halls with specialized flooring, open amphitheater space, digital production gear, and more – creating ideal spaces for creative growth.
- Students can attend small group classes focusing intensely on technique, then spread out in expansive halls mimicking the stage environment to practice choreography and ensemble work, honing their performance skills.
- The infrastructure allows for both nurturing emerging young artists and supporting professionals expanding their talents in new directions. The campus boasts multimedia equipment as well for documentation, allowing students to analyze their progress.
Expert Instruction
The Hyderabad Centre will draw over a dozen of India’s most highly-regarded performing artists and instructors to its faculty over its first five years.
- The inaugural staff in 2024 includes Bharatanatyam guru Malavika Sarukkai, acclaimed Kuchipudi dancer Raja Reddy, Dhrupad vocal master Ritwik Sanyal, Carnatic tradition violinist A. Kanyakumari, and percussionist S. Karthick.
- With specialization spanning classical schools, folk and tribal dance forms, traditional drama, and more, the collection of talent promises robust education for aspiring artists along with public workshops for enthusiasts of all levels.
- Well-versed in India’s rich range of styles while bringing fresh current sensibilities to the teaching practice, the faculty pass India’s traditions forward through their own diverse dance and musical careers.
Hyderabad Center Highlights
Expanding Reach Across India
This new Regional Centre helps the Sangeet Natak Akademi, founded in 1952, significantly expand its physical presence training performing artists and revitalizing the arts nationwide.
- While the Akademi’s headquarters in New Delhi and the original four regional centers host performances and short programs, steady demand for dedicated educational spaces continues growing as both arts participation and professional creative industries boom in today’s India.
- Recent surveys clock over 144 million citizens now actively pursuing artistic disciplines, creating 29 million related jobs – from classical dance troupes to fusion bands blending Indian sounds with global pop.
- Supply struggles to meet this rising passion and economic opportunity. The Hyderabad center marks the next milestone after the 2018 Chennai complex, but the SNA leadership has already begun planning further locations in cities like Chandigarh and Bhopal for later this decade.
Nurturing Talent
With the 2024 launch of this Sangeet Natak Regional Centre, the Hyderabad area gains an invaluable resource for nurturing promising talent across musical, dance and dramatic arts while fostering wider community participation in cultural opportunities.
- Students near and far will discover inspiring instruction guiding them to adapt their artistic gifts. Public access to witness and learn Indian performing arts traditions thrives for future generations with each new space playing host to the nation’s creative spirit.
- The Akademi keeps this heritage alive by reaching more citizens each year, soon to echo through Hyderabad neighborhoods and studios carrying forward these unique disciplines for India’s children.