The Kendra’s foray into the field of dance-dramas began in 1957 when it was asked by the then Prime Minister, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, to choreograph and present a ballet on the ‘Ramayan’. This production was mainly based on the saint-poet Tulsidas’s ‘Ramcharitmanas’ and covered the life of Lord Ram from his birth to his coronation in about 2.15 hours. The Kendra’s ensuing production ran to packed houses at the Feroz Shah Kotla Grounds, next to Delhi Gate, and later moved to the Kendra’s premises with a continued fanfare.

The choreographer of Kendra’s very first production was Narendra Sharma. He was an eminent dancer & choreographer who received his training from Pt. Uday Shankar in Indian Contemporary. He was also mentored by Zohra Sehgal who was a colleague of Pt. Uday Shankar.

After the success of the PM-commissioned ‘Shri Ram’, there was no looking back. In 1958, the Kendra ambitiously went on to produce two more memorable ballets – Bhavabhuti’s ‘Malti Madhav’, choreographed by Pt. Lachhu Maharaj and Pt. Birju Maharaj, and Kalidas’s ‘Kumar Sambhav’, choreographed by Pt. Birju Maharaj.

Thereafter, dance-dramas have been presented almost every year. Till 1977, most of these were either in the Kathak idiom or in creative dance styles. They were often based on Indian culture’s legendary Epic and Folk themes.

Around 1976, Guru Krishna Chandra Naik, the maestro of the Mayurbhanj Chhau dance style joined the Kendra. The Kendra discovered the immense power of this Chhau style, and a large number of ballets were choreographed based on this new vocabulary. Some of these were ‘Konark’, ‘Kalinga Vijay’, and ‘Khajuraho’.

During the last six decades, the Kendra has choreographed and staged over 60 new productions. It has also experimented with productions in contemporary forms and topics.

• Shri Ram
• Shri Krishna
• Karna
• Meera
• Durga
• Chakravyuha
• KaalChakra

• Khajuraho
• Kathak Group Work
• Bharatanatyam Group Work
• Mayurbhanj Chhau Group Work