Yakshagana Kendra Udupi
Yakshagana Kendra Udupi
Furtherance of Tradition
Yakshagana is a traditional theatre form of performing arts that uses dance,music and drama for live performances.
Yakshagana Kendra is a centre where students learn Yakshanaga through Guru-Shishya parampara of oral- verbal teaching and learning. Kendra is a meeting ground for artists and scholars alike
Jnan Peeth awardee Dr. Shivarama Karanth founded Yakshagana Kendra in 1972 along with Prof. Haridas Bhat with the vision to preserve the tradition and take it to global audience.
The center imparts training in the art of Yakshagana in Badagutittu style in Gurukula tradition, for students coming from rural and poor backgrounds, free of cost. Moreover, students pursue formal education also, whose cost is borne by the institution. Kendra imparts knowledge, moulds values, relays tradition in its culturally rich atmosphere to residents as well as visiting students from all over the country and world.
Yaksha Ranga, the repertory troupe of the center has been performing traditional Yakshagana in India and the world since its inception.
Weekend classes are held at Kendra for anyone interested to learn Yakshagana free of cost. About 200 students from and around Udupi enrolls for this every year.
Theatre practitioners are exploring the potential of integrating Yakshagana into theatre. Yakshagana Kendra offers an eco-system to explore such possibilities.