The Beginning
The Centre for Innovation in Performing Arts (CIPA) is a vision that takes shape at the intersection of tradition, contemporary practice, and technology. It is a space imagined for artists, researchers, educators, and communities to come together — to work, to think, and to dream.
Located on 1.65 acres of land beside a tranquil lake near Bangalore University, this centre has been entrusted to Attakkalari by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), as recognition of the role the organisation has played in advancing contemporary movement arts in India.
At present, CIPA exists as an idea — one that is slowly gathering form through dialogue, planning, and collaboration. It will be built in phases, guided by the belief that spaces for the arts must grow with care, integrity, and openness.
CIPA seeks to create an environment where:
Here, the lines between studio, lab, stage, and community space will blur — enabling a continuous flow of exchange.
Founded in Bengaluru, Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts has, for over two decades, been dedicated to shaping a contemporary movement language that draws from the physical wisdom of Indian traditions while engaging with global contemporary forms.
Attakkalari’s work spans:
With its motto — “Traditional Physical Wisdom, Innovation and Technology” — Attakkalari has positioned Bengaluru as a hub for contemporary dance and digital arts in South Asia.
CIPA is the natural extension of this legacy — offering a permanent home for the kind of cross-disciplinary work that Attakkalari has championed for decades.
Founder and artistic director of Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, Jayachandran Palazhy is an internationally sought after dancer, choreographer and pedagogue at the forefront of the contemporary movement arts scene in India.
Palazhy directs many of Attakkalari’s landmark initiatives such as the Attakkalari India Biennial, the Attakkalari Diploma in Movement Arts and Pedagogy, the internationally acclaimed Attakkalari Dance Company and the seminal NAGARIKA project, an interactive digital documentation series on Indian physical and performance traditions, unearthing the concepts of body and principles of movements embedded in them. Over the years Palazhy has helped to mould the careers of many contemporary dance artists in India and continue to guide budding artists through the Incubation Centre for the Arts and Media (ICAM) at Attakkalari. He has also been a consultant and mentor for artist residencies and festivals nationally and internationally. He is a visiting faculty in few universities and participates as a speaker in conferences and seminars world over.
The arts in India have long been shaped by a rich heritage. But for them to thrive in the present, they require spaces that encourage experimentation without losing sight of tradition.
CIPA will address this need by providing artists with the time, space, and resources to work deeply — while inviting communities to witness and participate in the evolving conversations between art, technology, and society.
An Invitation
CIPA is a work in progress — one that will be shaped by the hands, minds, and support of many.
We welcome you to be part of its journey — as a patron, a partner, a collaborator, or simply as someone who believes in the enduring value of the arts.
