Posted on 17 July 2026:

Sakhi: Seeking the Friend Within — A Contemporary Dance-Theatre Journey into Mental Health and Identity by Chitra Arvind

A dance-theatre production presented at Alliance Française de Bangalore’s Thursdance Festival and Rhythmotion’s Chalana Dance Festival, Bengaluru — July 23rd

**There is a friend who lives inside all of us — quiet, watchful, waiting to be heard. Sakhi: Seeking the Friend Within is an invitation to meet her.**

Conceived and directed by internationally acclaimed choreographer Chitra Arvind, Sakhi is a dance-theatre production that steps into the mindscapes of mythological and historical characters to ask a very human question: what happens when we are finally allowed to struggle?

Mental health difficulties have always existed, quietly woven into the lives of people across every era — yet they remain largely unspoken, wrapped in stigma and silence. Talking about them is still treated as taboo in much of society, and the barriers of bias and judgment often stand between a person and the help they need. In this climate, simply being able to say “I am struggling” becomes, in itself, a privilege — one that Sakhi gently, urgently asks us to examine.

Who is Sakhi? Sakhi means companion — a friend.

At the heart of this production lies the idea that healing begins with connection: not just to others, but to the self.

The piece follows an individual’s journey inward, toward the Sakhi within, exploring how intervention and inner companionship can transform the distance between who we are told to be and who we truly are.

“With a movement vocabulary combining Indian classical, contemporary and Oriental dance forms, spoken word and the digital medium, this piece explores the transformation of an individual from what society perceives them to be to who they really are,” says renowned Chitra Aravind.

**Through this lens, Sakhi becomes more than a performance — it becomes a mirror, reflecting the universal, timeless struggle of the mind, and the quiet courage it takes to seek a friend within.**

A Language of Movement, Voice and Light

Sakhi speaks in a movement vocabulary that is as layered as the emotions it explores — weaving together Indian classical, contemporary, and Oriental dance forms with spoken word and digital art.

This confluence of tradition and technology creates an immersive world where the inner and outer selves are given equal, vivid presence on stage.

The Creative Team

Concept & Direction: Chitra Arvind
Script: Alar Arvind
Choreography & Performance: Chitra Arvind, Debapriya Das, Alar Arvind
Light Design: Arun Murthy
Music: Praveen D Rao
Digital Art: Arnav Rastogi
Rangoli: Roopa Nagesh

About Rhythmotion

Since 2005, Rhythmotion has been a quiet force of transformation in Bengaluru’s dance landscape — a non-profit school and company where Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Contemporary dance find common ground with Carnatic music, yoga and body conditioning.

Under the artistic vision of Chitra Arvind, its productions have travelled Indian festivals like the Soorya Festival, Mamallapuram Dance Festival, and from the Busan International Dance Festival in South Korea to the ETNO film festival in Croatia, carrying Indian movement traditions onto global stages while never losing their rootedness at home.

The Artists Behind Sakhi

Chitra Arvind — dancer, choreographer, and seeker in equal measure — moves fluently between Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Contemporary vocabulary, shaped by years under some of India’s most revered gurus.

Guided by the wisdom of eminent Kathak masters — Smt. Chitra Venugopal, Dr. Maya Rao, Sri Maulik Shah, and Smt. Ishira Parikh — and Bharatanatyam guru Dr. Lalitha Srinivasan, her path was carved in devotion to dance. Early nurtured in Carnatic vocal and veena by her mother, Smt. Rama Srishailan discovered the harmony of sound and movement.

As Artistic Director and Founder of Rhythmotion School of Dance and Music since 2005, she continues to shape a legacy where tradition and innovation breathe as one.

Through acclaimed works like Srishtikarta, Yatra – River of Life, and Sakhi – The Friend Within, she weaves classical precision with contemporary relevance, crafting performances that echo India’s cultural soul while speaking to the urgencies of today.

Her journey carries the resonance of compassion and artistry — from conducting workshops at UC Irvine and Croatia to nurturing hearing and speech‑impaired children through dance. Her repertoire, has long turned toward the questions that matter — ecology, identity, faith — rendered with a rare blend of classical discipline and contemporary courage.

Her journey has taken her from Busan to London, working alongside choreographers like Shobana Jeyasingh and Wayne McGregor, and today, as she pursues a PhD in dance, she continues to believe in movement as medicine for mind and spirit alike.

Debapriya Das brings to Sakhi a decade of devotion to Middle Eastern and Oriental dance, having carried this art form from Cairo to Budapest to Bengaluru with award-winning grace. A former Bharatanatyam student turned pioneering belly dance artist, her work lives at the intersection of cultures — thoughtful, socially resonant, and unmistakably her own.

Alar Arvind — performer, writer and emerging psychologist —

Brings a rare duality to this production, having trained for over thirteen years in Kathak, Bharatanatyam, and Contemporary dance while pursuing a deep academic understanding of the mind. It is this dual fluency, in body and psyche alike, that lends Sakhi’s script its quiet insight.

Alar Arvind embodies a rare confluence of discipline and discovery — a performing artist shaped by thirteen years of Kathak, Bharatanatyam, and Contemporary training under Guru Smt. Chitra Arvind. A Doordarshan‑graded Kathak dancer, theatre enthusiast, and cultural voyager, Alar’s journey spans India, Croatia, and the USA, crowned by representing India at Walt Disney World’s Cultural Exchange Program. Their artistry is a dialogue of tradition and innovation, where every step resonates with intellect, emotion, and timeless grace.

About Chalana 2026

Since its premiere in 2008, Chalana has stood as Rhythmotion Trust’s gift to Bengaluru — a classical and contemporary dance festival that dances for a cause. Returning live in 2026 after years of evolving through the pandemic into a beloved online gathering, Chalana once again celebrates the discipline and artistry of Rhythmotion’s own dancers, offering a stage where training becomes transformation.

Event Details

Sakhi: Seeking the Friend Within will be performed on July 23rd, as part of two significant platforms for contemporary dance in Bengaluru:

Alliance Française de Bangalore’s Thursdance Festival — third edition
Rhythmotion’s Chalana Dance Festival, Bengaluru

Presented by Rhythmotion, this contemporary dance‑theatre performance celebrates the inner dialogue of friendship and self‑discovery — where every gesture becomes poetry.

Reserve your seat for both events CLICK HERE: BookMyShow – Sakhi

Both festivals have long championed bold, boundary-pushing dance-theatre, and Sakhi arrives as a poignant, necessary addition to this year’s line-up — a work that dances not around the subject of mental health, but straight into its heart.