Masoom Parmar

🪔 About

Masoom Parmar is a Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, multidisciplinary artist, curator, creative producer, and educator based in Bangalore, India. He received his initial training in Bharatanatyam under Smt Neha Patel in Navsari, Gujarat. Parmar furthered his education by earning a Visharad degree in Bharatanatyam from the Bruhad Gujarat Sangeet Samiti at Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in Ahmedabad. He continues to refine his Bharatanatyam and nattuvangam skills under the guidance of Sri Kiran Subramanyam and Smt Sandhya Kiran. In addition to Bharatanatyam, Masoom Parmar also trains in Kathak and practices the Sufi traditions of the Mevlevi Order. Parmar's artistic work often delves into themes of identity, belonging, pluralism, and interfaith dialogue. He is known for questioning whether a dance form deeply rooted in Hindu mythology can incorporate other religious literature and how such content might influence movement vocabulary and artistic expression. His performance "Aaj ke Naam" is a notable work, choreographed and performed by him, which interweaves personal anecdotes about religious identity, body image, love, and loss with songs by poets like Meera, Kabir, Shah Latif, and Shaikh Ayaz, all presented through the Bharatanatyam vocabulary. This work aims to transcend the religious boundaries often attributed to Bharatanatyam. He also choreographed and performed "Khush Āmadīd," a performance exploring themes of faith, memory, and elemental connections. Beyond his performance and choreographic endeavors, Masoom Parmar has served as an Art Manager at Nritarutya and is also a physiotherapist. His project with the India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) focuses on reinventing Bharatanatyam by integrating values of pluralism, reflecting his lived experiences as a non-binary, Muslim Zoroastrian dancer practicing a Hindu temple dance form.