Renowned dancer and Guru Padma Shri Dr. Ananda Shankar Jayant will present “Dancing Tales – Panchatantra”, a unique dance theatre production by Shankarananda Kalakshetra, on Friday, July 3, 2026, at Ravindra Bharati, Hyderabad, from 6:45 PM onwards. Dancing Tales… Panchatantra – brings alive some of the most well-known tales from the Panchatantra, where through parable and allegory, the production talks about friendship, bravery, quick wittedness, foolishness, leadership and freedom.
This program is being presented with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Govt of India under the Scheme ‘Assistance to Cultural Organisations with National Presence’.
Dancing Tales – Panchatantra is choreographed and directed by Dr Ananda Shankar Jayant and is to be performed by 20 + artists from Hyderabad and Bangalore. Well known dancer Mithun Shyam from Bangalore is in the lead along with Aditi Rao Ashtaputre, and senior dancers of Shankarananda Kalakshetra.
In this 78-minute dance-theatre production laced with humour and wit, five well known stories from the Panchatantra come alive – The smart hare that outwitted the mighty Lion, the king of the forest; the foolish monkey who gets his tail caught in the wedge; the cranes and the tortoise, the evil crocodile and the monkey; and the escape of the doves.
Music for this lyric free production is by well-known musician and composer Prema Ramamurthy, with English narration by Jayant Dwarkanath layering the production. Costumes by Ganesh Nallari and Deepa Krishnamachari, digital design by Gunjan Ashtaputre and lights by Surya Rao, alongside the unique choreography and movement design by Ananda Shankar Jayant, bring these eternal fables of the Panchatantra to modern audiences with a rare flair and aesthetic.
Ananda says, ‘Each story of the ‘Panchatantra’ with its moral and philosophical theme has withstood the test of time and bears relevance in the present times, when we are being buffeted by cross winds, both psychological and spiritual. I have been inspired to translate these stories into dance, as these stories have centuries of wisdom, compressed into a funny and innocuously small fables, that find resonance in each one of us. These parables, are universal and carry eternal pointers to life, holding up a mirror to oneself as well as a mirror to society, all delivered in pithy stories with fun and laughter’
The enchanting show promises to captivate both adults and children alike.
Entry to the show is free. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
