She was told she couldn't be a Bharatanatyam dancer — now she's reinventing it

Nova Bhattacharya is a choreographer who was born in Halifax but learned to dance in a basement in Scarborough. Watch her re-invent classic Indian dance in The Move: Season II.

As a classically trained Bharatanatyam dancer, Nova Bhattacharya knows the rules of classical dance — and exactly how to break them. But when you are practising an artform whose legacy dates back as early as the 1st or 2nd century CE in some ancient Tamil scripts, how do you begin to reinvent it?

In Bharatnatyam there are all these stories of this mythic world that is constantly invented, interpreted and imagined by dancers.- Nova Bhattacharya

For those of you who watched Nivedha Ramalingam perform in Season I of The Move, you saw why this south Indian dance has lasted so long. Its ability to share stories of the Hindu gods at a personal level is remarkable, and its complex storytelling combining hand gestures, footwork and facial expressions illuminates the human experience in a beautiful and codified way.

In this episode, see how Nova uses the structures of Bharatnatyam but turns it on its head with a performance imbued with feminist ideas and contemporary stories to reframe and reclaim these rituals. And while some may challenge her adaptations on this classical artform, she honours its legacy while also continuing to experiment with it.

"There's always going to be a spectrum of response, but I think traditions are alive and traditions are what we invent."

Follow Nova Bhattacharya here.

Eight of Canada's top choreographers share their astonishing moves — and the incredible stories behind why they dance in The Move: Season II. Find out more and stream the full series now on CBC Gem.