ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, Jayachandran Palazhy

Jayachandran Palazhy is the Artistic Director, ATTAKKALARI CENTRE FOR MOVEMENT ARTS, Bangalore, and The Attakkalari India Biennial.

A phenomenal dancer himself he has trained in India in the dance forms of Bharathanatyam, Kathakali, Indian Folk dance and Kalarippayattu ( the martial art form from Kerala) and in Contemporary Dance at the London Contemporary Dance School ( UK).He has also studied Ballet, Taichi, Capoeira and African Dance.

He has been working extensively as a freelance choreographer, teacher and consultant in different parts of the world and is at the forefront of the contemporary South Asian Dance Scene.

His work often involves digital and interactive technology and he has collaborated with some of the most celebrated artists of the genre on Attakkalari's multi-media works Purushartha, and Chronotopia.

His latest work CHRONOTOPIA, had its world premiere at The Attakkalari India Biennial 2009 and is now ready for touring.

Jayachandran’s multi media dance production PURUSHARTHA toured the European Festival Circuit to rave reviews. PURUSHARTHA is a pan Asian collaborative project choreographed by Jayachandran Palazhy, with music composition and interactive technology by Kunihiko Matsuo from Japan in a unique blend of Indian Movement idioms and Japanese digital & Sonic Arts.

Jayachandran has also created a Research Project on Indian Physical Expressions - Nagarika:

Derived from the Sanskrit word meaning ‘a civilizational dimension’, Attakkalari’s exhaustive research project ‘Nagarika’ is an Integrated Information System on Indian Physical Expressions through technology. The project compiles and categorizes movement sequences of two specific Indian movement traditions – the classical dance form of Bharatanatyam and the Keralan martial art - Kalarippayattu.

As the Artistic Director of Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, Jayachandran has created a brilliant team of dancers, inspired and led by his innovative and cutting edge choreography.His work tours widely in India and all over the world.