A little (big, uplifting) piece of wonderful news today ✨
London Adavu has been awarded a National Lottery Project Grant from Arts Council England to support London Margazhi 2026!!!!
Endlessly grateful to the community that has believed in this vision for years and now to Arts Council England for backing it. London Margazhi 2026, powered by community for 6 years, now supported with public funds from @aceagrams ! ✨
My sincerest gratitude to every single person, ESPECIALLY the London Adavu team of volunteers past and present who have supported me every step of the way to keep this community growing - your sincerity is what showed we deserve to be supported. Pls see the letter above for more! ♥️🙌🏾
This time last week - one of my most special stage experiences of all time, presenting my margam ‘Dvanda: A Dance of Halves’ at @bhavanlondon . I know this is a stage that so many dancers aspire to be presented on, so I had to absolutely make the most of this opportunity - tried to pull out all the stops and I’m so glad things went as well as they did! Heart, soul, sweat, tears (and possibly some blood) was left on that stage 😅 - as one of my friends said afterwards ‘you basically just ran a 2 hour marathon, except on stage!’ - yes, basically that is what us solo classical artists do! 💃🏾
Tiny excerpt from the evergreen ever-gorgeous ‘Manavi Chekona Rada’ varnam in Shankarabharanam choreographed by @vidhyasubramanian_art Akka - diving deep into desire and devotion. The biggest thanks and love to Akka who pushes me to work harder, think clearer and feel deeper each time, and always finally reminds me to just enjoy the stage. ♥️
Supported the whole way through by an incredible team of musicians who I can’t thank enough - @vamshikrishnavishnudas@prathapramachandra.r@vijayvenkatmusic@pallavi.anand5 . ♥️
Thank you @nataknotion for the clip! 🥰
We took a little break from posting, to detox from the heat - alas, it has only just begun - but after a hiatus, we are back with our regular programming!
We are excited to feature London-based Bharatanatyam artiste, and curator, Amritha Jayakrishnan, fondly called Ami Jay, in the third edition of Dancer Driven, a series where we celebrate dancers who curate initiatives for other dancers.
In this detailed interview, Ami Jay speaks about what sets London Adavu’s Margazhi apart.
Started as a meeting space for dancers in London, Adavu Jam has over 200+ Jam sessions, 20+ workshops, and after 7 years, they started their own Margazhi Festival. What began as a platform for dancers to meet and practice gradually evolved into something more meaningful for the dancers abroad.
As she embarks her journey to create London’s own Margazhi festival, she has not only attempted to reshape the London classical arts space, but also deepened her own journey as a dancer and curator, constantly finding ways to make the space better for dancers in London.
We spoke to Amritha about what it means to create a space like this for artists, what it takes to sustains it, what needs a few shifts, and what continues to demand attention.
Swipe — patiently — to discover her vision, the intent behind the London Adavu, and London Margazhi, and what it takes to engage with it.
#dancerdriven #aalaapinitiative #londonadavu #amijay #dancersfordancer
“London Margazhi festival is a dynamic step towards celebrating the endurance of classical technique of Bharatanatyam dance and Carnatic music.”
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We’re lovinggg @ilajnabed_ rich, in-depth feature on the first London Marghazi 💓 link in bio to read! 📸 @bheemadavikolanu
From MADNESS to MELA 🤩🌸
Little sneak peek into the ‘before’ and ‘after’ scenes of our Margazhi Mela - the team were working late into the night the previous day to make everything you saw and experienced possible!! Still can’t believe it’s almost been a month since London Margazhi 2026 ♥️
#londondance #bharatanatyaminlondon #londonadavu #dance #londonmargazhi2026
At the end of April, two long-time collaborators will reunite in London - dance artist @mavin_khoo and musician @osarunofficial .
Together, they will present the inaugural lecture in @ldnadavu ’s new multi-part series, Living Traditions. The lecture will take place on Wednesday 29 April at 7 pm at @bhavanlondon .
Conceived as a space for deepening dance practice beyond the acquisition of skill or repertoire, LDNAdavu’s lecture series will seek to foreground listening, interpretation and artistic dialogue.
Register via the link in LDNAdavu’s bio.
The energy of Chennai’s iconic Margazhi Festival came alive in London, marking the launch of a two-day South Indian classical music and dance festival.
Across Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd March, London Margazhi 2026, presented by London Adavu, brought together music, dance, food and community a first-of-its-kind celebration, and an inspirational showcase of UK-based talent.
Day two highlights included:
– A captivating Carnatic music concert by Ashnaa Sasikaran, alongside Aparna (violin) and Balaji (percussion) –A thought-provoking Q&A, grounded in lived experiences and wisdom, featuring Bharatanatyam artists Seeta Patel and Divya Ravi, facilitated Meenakshi Ravi, and vocals by Pooja Naarayan
– An artisan market spotlighting South Asian art, textiles, food and drink
– Spellbinding evening performances from Rachana Suresh Kumar, Rajeswari Ramaswamy, Kavya Iyer and Varun Shivakumar, accompanied by a live ensemble of musicians and nattuvanars
London Adavu, founded by Amritha Jayakrishnan, has grown over the past six years into a thriving Bharatanatyam community, from workshops and masterclasses to summer schools, and now, a full-scale festival.
Follow their journey here: @ldnadavu
#Bharathantyam #Indiandance #SouthIndiandance #Southindia #Carnatic
