Veteran dancer and choreographer Shashidharan Nair, whose journey in performing arts began with learning Kathakali in Kerala at the age of nine, has been selected for the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, India's highest national honour in the field of performing arts.
For Nair, the recognition for nearly six decades in stagecraft and storytelling carries special significance after decades of dedication to the field. “I feel like it's a lifetime achievement award,” he tells TMS. Widely regarded as one of the country's leading choreographers, Nair has also spent over four decades spearheading various productions at Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra in Delhi and mentoring performers.
How the journey began
Nair was born in Kerala in 1954. "I entered the dance world because of my grandfather. He was very much interested in Kerala's dance form, Kathakali," he says.
Nair earned a scholarship to study Kathakali at Kollengode, Kerala. At the age of 16, he moved to Delhi and started performing as a casual artist at Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra and Natya Ballet Centre. However, the young dancer soon realised he wanted to expand his artistic horizons. "I realised that it's not enough for me, so I wanted to learn more and more," he recalls. That desire took him to the Rangasri Little Ballet Troupe in Gwalior, one of the country's leading dance institutions in the 1970s, where he trained in Mayurbhanj Chhau and the Creative Dance style pioneered by Uday Shankar.
After returning to Delhi, Nair joined Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra as a dancer before eventually becoming a trainer and choreographer. His first major opportunity came after his choreography for Sankat, staged for Sahitya Kala Parishad in 1989, which caught the attention of Shobha Deepak Singh, director, Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra.
"She (Singh) came to see that production and then gave me the chance to choreograph Tripuranthak (a play based on a mythological battle between Lord Shiva and three demons)," Nair adds.
The production marked the beginning of a long association with the Kala Kendra, where he went on to choreograph acclaimed works such as Chakravyuh, Parikrama, and Dance of Shiva, Meera, and Karna. He also played a key role in shaping the institution's celebrated annual staging of the Sampurna Ramayana.
Learning across art forms
Nair’s training in various art forms such as Kathakali, Chhau, and Kalaripayattu enhanced his performance. "Kathakali gave me a strong foundation in abhinaya (acting), characterisation and discipline. Mayurbhanj Chhau introduced me to distinctive rhythmic patterns. Kalaripayattu gave me a different movement vocabulary, while the Creative Dance style of Uday Shankar encouraged imagination, innovation, and the freedom to blend tradition with contemporary expression," he says."Together, these forms broadened my understanding of movement, storytelling and stagecraft, enabling me to create original choreographies with a wider range of physical, visual, and dramatic possibilities.”
Nair says that the Indian dance ecosystem has changed significantly since he began his career, when training largely followed the gurukul tradition, marked by close guru-disciple relationships and one-to-one learning. At the time, many dance forms were still evolving and gaining recognition beyond their regions of origin. Today, dancers have access to far greater opportunities for training, performance and visibility through festivals, institutions, cultural organisations and digital platforms, enabling them to connect with audiences across the world.
While he acknowledges that classical and traditional dance forms require years of rigorous training, discipline and sustained commitment—qualities that can sometimes clash with contemporary lifestyles that favour quicker results—he remains optimistic about their future.
“India’s classical and traditional dance forms have survived for centuries because of their artistic richness, cultural relevance, and ability to evolve with changing times,” he remarks. “It is the responsibility of gurus, institutions, artists, and cultural policymakers to ensure that these traditions are nurtured, documented, and passed on to future generations.”
Awareness of Indian dance traditions is greater today, with many culturally conscious parents encouraging their children to learn dance and a growing number of young practitioners pursuing it seriously as a profession, he adds.
Still creating
Nair's choreographic interests continue to revolve around Indian mythology, history and philosophy. He is particularly drawn to narratives from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. “Epic narratives from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, as well as lesser-explored characters and stories, particularly interest me because of their depth, complexity, and contemporary resonance,” he says. He is also interested in contemporary themes, which he strives to interpret in a manner that connects with present-day audiences.
Even after six decades in performing arts, it is the creative process itself that continues to inspire him. "Every new production presents an opportunity to explore fresh ideas and discover new ways of expressing them through movement," he said. "The passion for storytelling, artistic exploration and the desire to contribute meaningfully to the world of dance continue to drive me to create."
(The formal presentation ceremony for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award will be announced by the Akademi later)