Dominique Delorme

🪔 About

Dominique Delorme is a renowned French dancer and choreographer specializing in Bharatanatyam and the revival of ancient Indian dance techniques known as karanas. His journey into Indian classical dance began after leaving medical studies in France, leading him to India in 1983. He initially trained in Paris under Malavika (Christine Klein). Supported by scholarships from the French government and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, he pursued extensive training in India. His esteemed gurus included V.S. Muthuswamy Pillai for dance, Kalanidhi Narayanan and Anuradha Jagannathan for abhinaya, Sulochana Pattabhiraman for Carnatic music, Kamala Rani for nattuvangam, and Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam for Natya Shastra and Bharatanrityam. He also studied yoga with Yvon Achard. Delorme has maintained an international career spanning over 35 years, performing and choreographing across Europe, Asia, and the USA. He is particularly noted for his work in resurrecting karanas, ancient dance forms that had largely disappeared by the 14th century, transposing them into contemporary contexts. His solo production "Nandanar," choreographed in 1994, garnered critical acclaim and toured extensively. He has also collaborated with theater and cinema directors and performed in works choreographed by Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam and Sudharani Raghupathy. Delorme leads his Paris-based company, "Cie Dominique Delorme," and conducts regular classes and masterclasses globally, sharing his unique approach to Indian classical dance rooted in tradition while embracing innovation. He received the prestigious Villa Medicis fellowship in 2000 for his research on karanas. Awards & Honours: Villa Medicis fellowship (2000), Scholarship from the French Ministry of Culture, Scholarship from the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Romain Rolland Scholarship, Lavoisier Scholarship, Indian Council for Cultural Relations Scholarship.