Kolkata, India: In a landmark moment for the city’s cultural landscape, Mind Body Spirit proudly presents the Kolkata Ballet Festival 2026, the first-ever festival of its kind in Kolkata dedicated exclusively to Western Classical Ballet. Conceived as a platform for learning, artistic excellence, and international cultural exchange, the festival brings together young ballet aspirants, educators, and dance enthusiasts from across India and around the world.
The festival is designed around four key pillars—Evaluation, Workshop, Competition named as SPOTLIGHT, and Lecture Demonstration—offering participants an enriching and professionally curated experience that goes far beyond competition. Through intensive training sessions, expert guidance, and performance opportunities, the festival seeks to nurture discipline, creativity, and technical excellence among the next generation of ballet dancers.Adding immense prestige to the festival is the presence of internationally acclaimed ballet educator Khushcheher Dallas, Director of The School of Classical Ballet and Western Dance, Mumbai, who joins the festival as the Guest Faculty and Chief Adjudicator. Her decades of experience in ballet education and performance will provide invaluable mentorship and inspiration to the participants.
The inaugural edition has witnessed an overwhelming response, with young dancers from across India participating in the festival, making it a truly national celebration of ballet. Girls and boys between the ages of 9 and 21 years in the competition and age rage from 5 to 45 years during the workshop have come together to showcase their talent, dedication, and passion for one of the world’s most graceful and disciplined dance forms.
Speaking on the occasion, Khushcheher Dallas, said, “The Kolkata Ballet Festival is a dream brought to life. It is not merely a competition but a movement to create opportunities for young dancers, encourage artistic excellence, and build a vibrant ballet community in India. Seeing children from different cities and countries unite through the universal language of dance is truly inspiring. We hope this festival becomes a stepping stone for many young dancers and firmly places Kolkata on the global ballet map.”
Adding further, Nandita Mondal, Festival Manager & Prasanna Saikia,Festival Director,said, “For years, talented students from Kolkata and Eastern India have travelled to Mumbai for ballet festivals, often incurring high expenses on travel and accommodation. We felt it was time to bring a platform of this scale to Kolkata and create opportunities closer to home. The overwhelming response to the inaugural edition has reaffirmed our belief that there is immense ballet talent in this region.Kolkata Ballet Festival is going to a biennial event, once in every two years . Our vision is to make it one of India’s premier ballet platforms, attracting even more students from across the country and abroad in the coming editions. We hope to build a strong ballet community in Eastern India and give our young dancers the stage, exposure, and opportunities they truly deserve.”
In Category 1 (9–13 Years), Arya Sarder emerged as the Winner, while the positions of 1st Runner-Up Saanvi Rajgarhia,2nd Runner-Up was Sharadiya Banerjee and Consolation Prize (Scholarship) was also awarded to Diksha Sharmain the category.
While in Category 2 (14–21 Years), Adrita Chatterjee was declared the Winner, followed by Sreejita Dey as the 1st Runner–Up and Shalini Chatterjee as the 2nd Runner-Up and Consolation Prize (Scholarship) was awarded to Aishiki Roy Choudhuri.
Kolkata Ballet Festival 2026 concluded on a high note, celebrating exceptional talent, discipline, and artistry. The festival has laid the foundation for a vibrant ballet movement in Kolkata and promises to become an annual platform that nurtures and showcases the finest young ballet talent from India and beyond.