NM Certificate Courses

NM Certificate Course details

THEME: Form and Embodiment — Seen through movement expressed in Sculptural and dance traditions of India

OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE

Ancient and medieval Indian sculpture, particularly temple art, offers figures that appear frozen in time yet resonate with a sense of motion—hips swayed, torsos twisted, limbs extended in gestures that suggest rhythm and energy. These forms are not static: they are visual codifications of movement, embodying balance, dynamism, and rasa (emotive flavor). Similarly, Indian formal dance traditions develop codified vocabularies of gesture, posture, and rhythm. These forms translate sculptural stillness into kinetic presence, activating the body as both aesthetic form and expressive medium.

The course takes as its central concern the relationship between form—the structured, visible, and often idealized representation of the human body—and embodiment—the lived, experienced, and felt presence of the body in motion. By focusing on ancient Indian traditions of sculpture and dance, participants are invited to sense how movement is not merely a physical action but also a cultural, philosophical, and aesthetic principle.

 

Ultimately, the course seeks to cultivate an awareness to look at sculpture and dance not as separate genres but as part of a shared aesthetic continuum. They will be trained to perceive the movement within form and the form within movement. To see that embodiment is both artistic and philosophical: a way of knowing, sensing, and relating to the world.

COURSE OUTLINE AND STRUCTURE

1: Day 1 (14^th Dec.) Introduction — The Idea of Movement in Indian Aesthetics

• form in the Indian Context that defines how the body is used as a medium, symbol, and vehicle of expression
• Key texts: Nāṭyaśāstra
• Philosophical and aesthetic notions of movement (nṛtta, nāṭya, rasa)

 

2: Day 2 (16^th Dec.) Sculptural Form — Stillness that Suggests Motion

• Brief introduction to ancient and medieval Indian sculptural styles
• Analysis of iconic motifs: tribhaṅga, abhaṅga, and the dynamic torso
• The visual grammar of rhythm and gesture in stone
• How sculptors encoded dance into static form
• Visual analysis of relevant sculptures exhibited in the National Museum

3: Day 3 (17^th Dec.) Embodied Form — Dance Traditions as Living Sculpture

• Formal dance traditions as carriers of sculptural aesthetics ( demonstrated through Odissi)
• Mapping postures and gestures from sculpture into dance vocabulary
• The role of the body in ritual, performance, and storytelling
•  Practice session — re-enacting sculptural poses through guided movement. (tentative, depending on the howmany of students are da

4: Day 4 (18^th Dec.) Fluidity — From Form to Motion

• Transition from stillness to motion: how sculptures come alive in dance
• The aesthetics of flow: continuity, rhythm, and temporal unfolding
• Fluidity across mediums
• Interplay of disciplines and the interconnectedness of the arts with reference to Vishnudharmottara Purana

5: Day 5 (19^th Dec.) Experiencing Embodiment

• The phenomenology of performance — dancer’s perspective
• Movement as sensorial knowledge (kinesthetic awareness, rhythm, breath)
• The body as archive: how tradition is preserved through lived practice
• Comparative perspectives: embodiment in martial, yogic, and ritual practices

 

Final Project: Participants create a short presentation (performance, visual essay, or reflective paper) tracing the journey of form into embodiment through a selected example.

COURSE OUTCOMES

 

By the end of the course, participants will have developed a refined sensibility for perceiving and experiencing movement across Indian artistic traditions. They will be able to recognize how sculptural forms encode rhythm and gesture, and how these forms find fuller expression through embodied practices in dance. Participants will cultivate an ability to analyze, interpret, and re-imagine the fluid continuum between stillness and motion, form and embodiment. Through both theoretical engagement, actual viewing of sculptures and demonstrations of dance vocabulary, they will gain an understanding of aesthetic principles such as balance, rhythm, and rasa, and the contemporary relevance that were inherent in a very traditional treatment of the body to be a medium of expression. This will enrich their understanding of movement and equip them to carry these insights into their own artistic, academic, or reflective practices.

COURSE CONDUCTED BY

Shagun Butani is a distinguished practitioner of Odissi and one of the few women performers of Seraikella Chhau in India. With over two and a half decades of performances, workshops, and lecture-demonstrations across India and internationally, she is widely recognized for preserving, promoting, and reinterpreting India’s classical dance traditions.

As a core member of the team that prepared the Chhau dossier for UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, Shagun helped secure global recognition for this rich tradition. She is the founder of Sudhaaya Dance Foundation, a non-profit that connects audiences with India’s cultural heritage and underscores the contemporary relevance of traditional art forms.

Her artistic practice spans performance, choreography, and curation. Choreographic works such as Door and To Shiva – Offerings of a Fragmented Heart probe the expressive possibilities of classical vocabulary, while meaningful collaborations across disciplines highlight the versatilityof traditional formsin engaging deeply with contemporary expression. She has curated acclaimed festivals including Devi – Goddess on My Mind, Ek-Anant: The Unending One, Unmasking the Tradition: The Story of Seraikella Chhau, and Encircling Forms…Seen–Unseen. In 2024 she assisted in the curation of Eternal Echoes: The Resonance of Heart with Heritage for the Serendipity Arts Festival, an exhibition focused on indigenous genres of Indian music.

Shagun’s work moves fluidly between performance, scholarship, and documentation. She scripted dance films—Chhau Dance and Lai Haroba—produced by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and have delivered numerous lectures at prestigious venues, including the National Museum, New Delhi, where she has elucidated the symbolism and interconnectedness of India’s performing arts. She is also a visiting faculty member at the Sushma Swaraj Institute for Foreign Studies, where her lectures introduce and educate the diplomatic community on the dance and music traditions of India. Her current research explores secular feminine motifs in Indian sculptural and dance traditions, deepening the dialogue between history, iconography, and embodied practice.

A committed educator, Shagun, has spent more than 25 years working with children and sustained outreach in schools serving underprivileged communities. She believes that traditional Indian visual and performing arts—rooted in mythology, folklore, and nature—help children discover cultural roots and engage with social and environmental themes. Drawing on her knowledge of traditional art practices she has developed interactive awareness modules for children that use storytelling and movement to communicate complex ideas accessibly. Stories written by her for children, include Dushta Mukutasur aur uski Haar (on the coronavirus) and Priya Kudelal (on the importance of waste management), exemplify this practice-led pedagogy.

As a teacher and mentor in Odissi, Seraikella Chhau, she blends technical rigor with a focus on inner awareness. She guides students to see dance not only as form and technique but as a spiritual practice—an inquiry into the body as a vehicle for expression, resilience, and transcendence.

In addition to her dance practice, Shagun is a dedicated Yoga instructor (certified by the Ayush Ministry, Government of India), integrating breath, alignment, and somatic awareness into her teaching and creative work.

Duration of Course: 5 Days (Dec 14-19)

Timings: 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Minimum Eligibility Criteria: 19 years and above can apply for the course. Open to all, 

Total number of seats: 35 only

Certificates: Certificate would be given against 100 percent attendance only.

Course fee:

Students (Pursuing)	Rs. 1000/-
National Museum Volunteers	Rs. 500/-
NGOs (students sponsored by NGOs)	Free
Others	Rs. 2000/-