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Bhakti – A Shared Longing in Bengaluru: Mayuri Upadhya's Immersive Dance Theatre Production
Bhakti brings 13 Indian saints to life through immersive dance, music, and theatre in Bengaluru.
Some performances entertain you. Others stay with you long after the curtain falls.
‘Bhakti – A Shared Longing’ belongs firmly in the second category.
Created by Nritarutya Dance Company under the artistic direction of Mayuri Upadhya, this acclaimed multilingual dance theatre production brings together the poetry, philosophy and spiritual journeys of 13 of India's most influential saints and mystics in a single immersive performance. Bhakti combines contemporary movement, theatre, live music and spoken poetry to explore one timeless idea: the shared human longing for connection, faith and love.
After its widely appreciated premiere at Chowdiah Memorial Hall in 2025, the production returns to Bengaluru on August 28, 2026, offering you another opportunity to experience one of the city's most ambitious original stage works.
What Is Bhakti – A Shared Longing?
At its heart, Bhakti is an exploration of devotion through movement.
The production brings together the words of saints, poets and mystics from different centuries, regions, languages and faiths. It reveals how each of them expressed longing, surrender, compassion and spirituality. These expressions are remarkably different, yet deeply connected in meaning.
The performance unfolds as a series of interconnected chapters. Each chapter centres on one saint or mystic, using their poetry and philosophy as the starting point for an original choreographic interpretation.
The result is a production that moves effortlessly between dance, theatre, music and storytelling while remaining emotionally accessible even if you are unfamiliar with the original texts.
One of the most remarkable aspects of Bhakti is that it does not belong to any one religion, language or tradition.
It celebrates the shared emotional thread that connects voices from across India, reminding you that devotion has always transcended geography, caste, language and social boundaries.
Mayuri Upadhya: The Vision Behind Bhakti – A Shared Longing
The driving force behind the production is acclaimed choreographer and artistic director Mayuri Upadhya.
Widely regarded as one of India's leading contemporary dance-makers, Mayuri has spent more than two decades creating productions that combine classical Indian movement traditions with contemporary choreography. Her work has been presented across India and internationally, earning recognition for its emotional depth, visual storytelling and innovative approach.
Her achievements include winning the Broadway World Award for Best Original Choreographer for Mughal-e-Azam. She also served as the lead choreographer for The Great Indian Musical: Civilization to Nation. The production has been staged internationally, including performances at the Lincoln Center in New York.
She has also curated multiple editions of the Serendipity Arts Festival and continues to lead Nritarutya as Artistic Director.
For Bhakti, Mayuri spent 14 years researching devotional poetry, philosophical traditions, movement vocabularies and regional music before bringing everything together into a single production.
She describes the work as both deeply personal and universal.
Rather than presenting devotion as something confined to religion, the production explores it as an emotion that connects people across languages, regions and generations.
Nritarutya: Redefining contemporary Indian dance since 2000
Nritarutya was founded in Bengaluru in 2000 by sisters Mayuri and Madhuri Upadhya.
Since then, the company has become one of India's most respected contemporary dance ensembles, known for productions that combine Indian classical traditions with modern theatrical storytelling.
Nritarutya treats classical dance as a living, evolving form, constantly experimenting with movement, music, visual design and narrative. Their productions have travelled internationally while remaining deeply rooted in Indian culture.
That philosophy is clearly visible throughout Bhakti, where traditional poetry is expressed through a movement language that is contemporary without losing its cultural identity.
What makes Bhakti different from other dance productions
Many dance productions tell a story.
Bhakti explores an idea.
It moves away from a single narrative and instead explores what devotion means across different cultures, languages and periods of Indian history.
Some saints express devotion through love. Others through rebellion. Some through surrender. Others through questioning society itself.
The production moves fluidly between these emotional states, creating an experience that constantly changes in mood, music and movement.
You do not need to know the biographies of the saints beforehand.
Each performance provides enough context through choreography, music and staging to make every segment emotionally accessible.
The music brings India's devotional traditions together
Music plays an equally important role throughout the evening.
Because each saint belonged to a different region and musical tradition, the soundtrack naturally shifts between multiple styles.
You can expect influences from Carnatic music, Abhangs, Bhajans, Sikh Kirtan, Rabindra Sangeet, Sufi-inspired compositions and regional devotional forms.
The production embraces the diversity of India's spiritual heritage rather than shaping it into a single uniform musical language.
This variety keeps the performance constantly evolving while remaining emotionally connected.
Everything you need to know before you book
If you're planning to attend, here are the key details.
Production: Bhakti – A Shared Longing
Company: Nritarutya Dance Company
Artistic Director: Mayuri Upadhya
Date: Sat, August 28, 2026
Time: 7:30 pm
Venue: Prestige Centre for Performing Arts
Price: Starts ₹499
Tickets: Click here to book
Bulk Ticket Enquiries: +91 99001 57591
Whether you're interested in dance, music, theatre, Indian philosophy or simply want to experience something different, Bhakti offers one of the most thoughtfully created stage productions currently touring India.
Its greatest strength is that it never asks you to belong to a particular religion or tradition.
Instead, it invites you to experience devotion as a shared human emotion expressed through movement, poetry and music.
It is an evening that encourages you to slow down, reflect and experience some of India's richest cultural traditions through a completely contemporary artistic lens.
Bengaluru
Mayuri Upadhya's Bhakti – A Shared Longing in Bengaluru
₹499
