Nova Bhattacharya has been acclaimed as one of Canada’s most captivating dance artists. She has trained with some of bharatanatyam’s most esteemed teachers including Menaka Thakkar, Kalanidhi Narayan and Kitappa Pillai. Her development in contemporary dance has been informed by her ongoing work with Peggy Baker, Sasha Ivanochko and Louis Laberge-Côté and in butoh by Yumiko Yoshioka and Denise Fujiwara. She was a member of Menaka Thakkar and Company for eleven years, appearing as a soloist and company member for many national and international tours. In 1986 she embarked on a career as an independent artist. Described in The Globe & Mail as possessing a style that is "bold and disturbingly direct" Bhattacharya is vivacious performer with a charismatic stage presence, recognized for her strong technique and thoughtful characterizations. She has appeared in the works of Joan Phillips, Sinha Danse, Fujiwara Dance Inventions, Kaeja D’dance, Viv Moore and Bouchardanse.

Eager to explore the scope for innovation within the Bharatanatyam form and seeking to create works that utilize classical vocabulary in a contemporary aesthetic, Bhattacharya began choreographing in 1997. Her choreography has been characterized as "a contemporary expression of the Bharatanatyam form … and more" (Vancouver Sun) and been commissioned by the Canada Dance Festival, Cahoots Theatre Projects, Dusk Dances, Theatre Direct Canada and Toronto Dance Theatre.

Bhattacharya’s artistry is a reflection of her classical training and present- day aesthetic, her work is formally rigorous and displays an eloquence that goes beyond pure movement.

Press for Bhattacharya:

"Equal parts siren and technical dynamo, the diminutive performer with the burning eyes shows you the soul behind the dance."
- Deidre Kelly, The Globe & Mail

“Her style is personal and subjective...in the tradition of classical modern dance.”
- William Littler, Toronto Star