Feed Your Inner Artiste And Be Inspired At The Arts Village

From yoga and Zumba to classical music and illustrations, The Arts Village is a sanctuary of culture and all things artsy.

What do you get when you combine yoga, dance and art? Well, if you live in Bangalore, then it is The Arts Village. Hardly a few days old, this centre is made up of three charming {dreamy, even} colonial homes off the bustling St Marks Road, and is run by Lakshmi Vijayendra and Vinisha Sujay {a saas-bahu enterprise, for a change}. At Raaga, one studio teaches classical music and dance, and in the second it is all about the contemporary. Then, Surya, with two large studios works for yoga and Kala, eponymously obviously, is the exhibition hall and doubles up for workshops covering all the arts. Plus, a courtyard, making the space picture perfect, if you are more inspired directly under the sky. Oh, there’s also the cutest little gift shop complete with plants and garden gnomes.

Currently, Surya is ruled by Sudeepta Shanbhag, Mala Bhat, Vijay Dhruve, Rewa Kaul and Sheetal Shah; pick which of their disciplines and times suit you and get fit through yoga. Over at Raaga, be it Belly Dance with Pooja Sharma, Contemporary moves thanks to Anirudh Roy, or pumping Bollywood with Shweta Sara, you’re in for a real treat when it comes to dance. Spoiling you for choice, Latin, Odisi, Kuchipudi, Bharatnatyam and Kathak are also part of the roster. If music is your calling, get set for Carnatic Vocals, courtesy Chandrika K Mehta and Veena classes with Shanthi Rao. Like us, if you like it a bit sensual and wild, sign-up for Zumba with Bharath Kishore, who has learned from the founder of Zumba himself, Beto Perez. Kala will have you painting with friends, learning pottery, cartooning, quilling and more, combining fun and education in the arts. For now, artist Damian Ward rules the roost.

Finally a space for artistes across the field, and mercifully in the city-centre, we’re certainly throwing on our talent hats and heading here.