Hybrid parampara: Nritta in the age of AI

Technology can help enhance training and preserve the classical tradition without diluting the human craft

Artificial Intelligence is weaving its way into Indian classical dance and stirring up a lot of debate. As someone who performs and researches, I see critics and artists push back, saying AI just doesn’t have the cultural or spiritual depth needed to truly get the heart of this art form. In the Guru-shishya parampara, it is not just about teaching steps; it is about passing down tradition, energy, and emotion through real human connection. This spiritual and cultural flow, critics fear, is disregarded by technological intervention, leading to scepticism among the practitioners.

I disagree with this generalised perception. While AI development relies heavily on data sets, the foundational texts of Indian classical dance offer immense possibilities for this conversion. Here is where it gets interesting, though. Ancient texts such as the Natya Shastra, Balaramabharatam, Sangeeta Ratnakara, Hastalakshana Deepika, and Bharatarnava are already so detailed and organised that it’s easy to turn them into data sets. Our dance pedagogy leans heavily on these texts; so bringing in AI feels less like a threat and more like an upgrade. AI tools can make training and evaluation sharper than ever. We’re not cutting out the human side; we’re boosting it. This moment represents a larger shift in how Indian knowledge systems can meaningfully
engage with emerging technologies, where preservation and innovation are not opposing forces, but complementary pursuits.

Sure, platforms like Google Meet let teachers reach multiple students at once, but the Guru-shishya tradition demands a personal touch – something you just can’t automate. Still, AI with Augmented and Virtual Reality can help fill that gap. Imagine getting instant, personalised feedback on your hand positions, footwork, or expressions. It’s like having a virtual Guru – it’s like how Krishna could be with his many devotees at once,
but now, it’s tech doing the heavy lifting.

Pure dance, or nritta, with its intricate footwork and gestures, is already getting digitised everywhere. Using advanced tools such as Computer Vision, Deep Learning, and algorithms such as Media Pipe and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), researchers can achieve high-accuracy identification of these movements. For instance, models have shown a clarification accuracy of up to 97.8% for complex samyuta hastas (double hand gestures), demonstrating AI’s strong ability to process and analyse intricate geometrical patterns in dance. Such developments also create new possibilities for documentation, archiving, and comparative study, ensuring that rare stylistic lineages and regional variations are recorded with scientific precision for future generations.

But when it comes to abhinaya – the part that expresses emotion and draws out rasa – things get more personal. Traditionally, only the Guru’s eye could judge abhinaya, and it happened in the private space of the kalari. Now, Motion and Precision Training (MPT) tech uses AI to give students real-time feedback on posture, symmetry, and gestures. AI won’t ever replace the Guru’s wisdom, but it does ramp up a student’s technical skills and opens up access for people all over the world.

Deepening without disruption

Machine Learning is taking this even further. By tracking tiny muscle movements in the face, ML can measure how well a dancer expresses the bhava. This means students can get constant, around-the-clock feedback and focus on refining those subtle expressions that matter most. This democratisation of access has the potential to nurture talent beyond traditional cultural hubs, allowing students from diverse geographies and socio-economic backgrounds to engage deeply with classical forms.

But here’s the big question: Can AI, which deals in numbers and patterns, really pick up on the regional quirks
and subtle hints – the dharmis and the dhwanis – that make abhinaya so special? An
evaluation that is only technically accurate but lacks
the comprehension of these subtle human concepts can result in an aesthetically hollow appreciation.

I believe that AI’s role is one of optimal expansion, not replacement. The real future is in blending both worlds, a hybrid tradition where technical skills and AI insights work hand in hand, but always under the watchful eye and taste of a Guru. For this to work, artists, tech experts, and critics need to come together and set some ground rules. With the National Education Policy 2020 making space for Performance Studies in the Indian Knowledge Systems, universities have to step up and lead this research.

Only by working together can we use technology not just to save our heritage, but to keep it lively and forward-looking in the digital age.

(The writer is an assistant professor at the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, GITAM University)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.