India is home to eight recognised classical dance forms — Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam, and Sattriya — each with its own history and cultural identity. Yet while Bharatanatyam and Kathak continue to draw large numbers of students and audiences, other traditions such as Chhau, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam and Kuchipudi struggle to find enough learners, teachers and visibility.
Practitioners say the challenge goes beyond changing tastes. They point to a combination of limited awareness, a shortage of trained gurus, regional concentration, reduced media coverage and growing pressure on young people to pursue more financially secure careers.
At Delhi's Triveni Kala Sangam, where several classical dance forms are taught, the difference in public interest is visible.
"When we announce Kathak classes, we receive enough inquiries within a few days to fill the course," says Rachit Jain, outreach communicator at Triveni Kala Sangam. "But forms like Chhau receive far fewer inquiries. We realised there is a lack of awareness and art literacy. I had never heard of Chhau before joining Triveni," he adds.
To encourage more people to try the dance form, the institution has started offering free trial Chhau classes. However, Jain explains awareness remains a challenge. While Bharatanatyam, Kathak and, to some extent, Odissi regularly feature in performances held at the venue, Chhau performances are comparatively rare.
Dance experts say one reason for the imbalance is that Bharatanatyam and Kathak gained visibility much earlier than several other forms.
"Kathak and Bharatanatyam had a head start," says Kathak exponent Shovana Narayan. "They had greater visibility, inspiring gurus, more performances and much more newspaper coverage. People saw great performers, read about them and naturally wanted to learn those dance forms." Narayan believes the lack of media visibility is a major factor limiting the reach of these dance forms at present.
The survival challenge
Odissi exponent Ranjana Gauhar notes that many lesser-known dance forms remain confined to the regions where they originated.
"Manipuri and some other forms are now seen as regional in nature," she remarks. "People in metro cities have not tried to familiarise themselves with them.” Another major challenge, she says, is the shortage of qualified teachers.
Gauhar adds that even Odissi, despite being one of India's more widely recognised classical dance forms after Bharatanatyam and Kathak, faces similar challenges because “of its slower pace”.
"In today's fast-moving world, people want everything to be quick and flashy. Classical dance forms have their own character. When people try to make everything faster, it distorts the art form," she says.
The shortage of teachers is especially severe in Chhau. Chhau exponent Dr Sapan Kumar Acharya, who trains students at Triveni Kala Sangam, says the dance form has traditionally remained concentrated within a small community.
Acharya says his family has been associated with teaching Chhau at Triveni for over three decades. However, only a few artists from Seraikella in Jharkhand—the region where the dance form is predominantly practised—are willing to move outside to teach, limiting its spread.
He also adds that the interest among younger generations in the dance form's home region has declined.
"Many young people do not want to pursue it as a profession," he explains, besides pointing out that government support has also reduced over the last decade. “I try to train as many as possible, but one person alone cannot promote an entire art form."
Popularity and decline
Veteran dancer and choreographer Shashidharan Nair believes geography and institutional support have played an important role in shaping the popularity of different dance traditions.
"Bharatanatyam and Kathak were institutionalised through centres like Kalakshetra in Chennai and Kathak Kendra in Delhi," he said. "Government support since Independence has been strongest for these forms, producing a large number of dancers who later became teachers."
According to him, many parents are unaware of the different classical dance forms practised across India and end up enrolling their children with the nearest available teacher. Many parents encourage children to learn classical dance only until secondary school, then ask them to focus entirely on academics, she adds.
"Many students join, but many also leave," she says. She adds that very few learners stay committed in the long run, as the art form requires discipline, devotion and personal sacrifice that not everyone can make.” The challenge is not only preserving the dance forms but also ensuring that younger generations understand their value, practitioners say.
The Odissi exponent says that the solution begins in schools. "Classical arts should become part of the school curriculum," she says. She believes that while not everyone will pursue the performing arts, everyone should appreciate and preserve the country’s cultural heritage.
As India continues to celebrate its rich cultural diversity, perhaps preserving lesser-known dance traditions will require more than occasional performances. The future of these centuries-old dance forms will depend on greater public awareness, better access to trained teachers, sustained institutional support and stronger media visibility.