Nrithyodaya, The Academy of Performing Arts, Mumbai, is a leading dance institution founded in 1976, by Smt. Jayashree Rajagopalan, one of the foremost disciples of Dr Padma Subrahmanyam, the internationally renowned Indian danseuse.

Ever since its inception, the institution has been doing yeomen service in propagating the rich cultural heritage of our country to the Indian and foreign communities through dance and dance-drama productions, workshops, seminars, lectures and lecture-demonstrations.

The prime activity of the institution is to train students in the art of Bharata Nrityam – Indian classical dance as laid down in the Natya Sastra, the earliest extant treatise on the art of dramaturgy i.e. dance, music and drama. Right from the beginning, students are made to understand the various regional classical dances of India and identify how closely they adhere to their source – the Natya Sastra.