Ranan Performance Collective grew out of an immediate felt need to demystify Indian classical dance and make it accessible and enjoyable for larger audiences. The vision has grown into a conviction that performing arts should be an indispensable part of life both for those who practice it and those who partake of it. We aim to explore and forge imaginative, practical and accessible ways of bringing art, artists and audiences closer together so that the arts themselves can thrive and evolve by involving more and more people.

Our work experiments extensively with bringing Kathak in touch with other forms of artistic expression such as elements of design, film, genres of music, non-traditional poetry and the language of drama. With a thoughtful approach to performance, inventive visual staging, vibrant productions, and experimental but rooted creative processes, Ranan’s variety of work—traditional Kathak, choreography, dance-theatre; workshops, seminars, lec-dems, interaction sessions, collaborations; experimentations with film and live dance—has earned the company a reputation for quality, innovation and refreshing energy.

Supported and partnered by a range of public and private organisations from India and abroad, Ranan aims to grow into a nodal and nurturing point for the performing arts in India.

Ranan was founded in June 2004, and is registered as a non-profit Society under the Certificate of Registration of Societies West Bengal Act, 1961.

I think Ranan is a very significant development in this city. They have a commitment which is long-term, a commitment which makes them really struggle to produce the kind of work they want to do. It is a struggle that has a lot of passion behind it – and that is evident in the kind of work that Ranan has produced.
- Sujata Sen, Director, British Council, Kolkata

A sampling of people and organisations Ranan has worked with on various projects:

Akar Prakar Art Gallery, Calcutta, American Centre, Calcutta, Anirban Karfa, photographer, Calcutta, Anjan Saha, music composer, Calcutta, Avishek Ghosh, film editor, Calcutta and Mumbai,British Council, Calcutta, Department of Comparative Literature, Jadavpur University, Department of English, Jadavpur University, Dhruva Lal, musician, Calcutta, Douglas Rintoul, Vicky Long, Emma Cameron of Transport Theatre, UK, Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Calcutta, ELAN Wales, Firenza Guidi, performance director, Wales and Italy, Gati Dance Forum, Delhi, Goethe-Institut, Max Mueller Bhavan, Calcutta, Hiron Mitra, stage designer, Calcutta, India Theatre Forum, Indo British Scholars Association, Calcutta and Jamshedpur, Jayeeta Mukherjee and Rahul Gupta, costume designers, Bangalore, Kanishka Sen, lighting designer, Calcutta, Katy Lai Roy, director and designer, Calcutta,
Khoj Artists Collective, Calcutta, Kolkata Sanved, Mahesh Raut, photographer, Calcutta, Megha Malhotra, graphic designer, Calcutta, Nageen Tanvir, music composer, Bhopal, Naresh Mukherjee, music composer, Calcutta, Naveen Kishore, publiser, photographer, lighting designer, Calcutta, Neel Adhikari, music composer, Calcutta, Nina Normann, film editor, Finland, Open Doors Event Management, Calcutta, Oxford Bookstore, Calcutta, Padatik Dance Centre, Calcutta, Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai, Ranjan Palit, film-maker, Calcutta, Ratna Saha Roy, video documentation, Calcutta, Ronnie Gupta, printer, Calcutta, Samar Das, lighting designer, Calcutta, Sameera Iyengar, director and theatre administrator, Mumbai, Samskritiki Shreyaskar, Calcutta, Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi, Siddhartha Bhattacharyya, music composer, Calcutta, Spandan, Calcutta, Subhagata Singha, musician and music programmer, Calcutta, Subhashis Bhattacharya, music composer, Calcutta, Sudip Sanyal, lighting designer, Calcutta, Sudipto Shankar Roy, film editor, Calcutta and Mumbai, Sudokshina Chatterjee Manna, vocalist, Calcutta, Sukanya Ghosh, stage and print designer, Calcutta,
Sunandini Banerjee, designer, Calcutta, Swapnasandhani Theatre Group, Calcutta, Tathagata Singha, film editor, Pune, Teamwork Films, Delhi,
Theatrecian, Calcutta, Tom Lai, lighting designer, Calcutta, UMA Gallery, Calcutta, Weavers’ Studio Centre for the Arts, Calcutta