Katia Légeret

🪔 About

Katia Légeret, also known as Katia Légeret-Manochhaya or Manochhaya, is a prominent French figure in Indian classical dance, a university professor, researcher, choreographer, and author. Born in Tours, France, she is a specialist in the aesthetics of Indian danced theatre, particularly Bharatanatyam. Légeret began her professional training in Bharatanatyam in France in 1979 with Amala Devi, a disciple of Ram Gopal, at The Sorbonne. She continued her studies in Chennai, India, with K. Swarnnamukhi, and from 1985 to 2014, she trained with Bharatanatyam master K. Muralidhar Rao in Mysore, learning the Pandanallur style. She also studied with Venkatalakshamma in Mysore. Since 1986, Légeret has pursued an international career as a Bharatanatyam artist, interpreting the repertoires of Natyacharya K. Muralidhar Rao. She is also a professor of Aesthetics and Art Theory in the Department of Theatre at Paris 8 University, where she directs the research laboratory EA1573/EDESTA-Aesthetics, Sciences and Technologies of the Arts. Her research focuses on the aesthetics of Indian dance and theatre, their influence on European directors, and their contemporary staging in France and Europe. Légeret is a prolific author, with publications including "Les 108 Karana: Danse et théâtre de l'Inde" (2017), "Manuel traditionnel du Bharata-nâtyam – Le danseur cosmographe", "Danse contemporaine et théâtre indien un nouvel art?" (2010), "Rodin et la danse de Çiva" (2014/2018), and "Dance Theatre of India: Crossing New Aesthetics and Cultures" (2018/2019). As a choreographer and director, Légeret has created several performances, such as "Dance-Poem" (1998), "Panchatantra/La Fontaine" (2010-2015), "Shiva-Rodin" (2013), "Helder Camara's Poetry" (2012), "Le Tarjuman d Ibn 'Arabi" (2012), "La Conférence des oiseaux d'Attâr" (2013), "Mysore Stutis" (2016), "La Porte de l'Enfer de Rodin", and "Joyaux Moghols" (2017). She has been transmitting her art since 1981.