For Delhi-based Sandhya Raman, dance is not restricted to spaces and choreography. Instead, it flows into colours, silhouettes, fabric and textures. For more than three decades, the costume designer has enhanced the recitals of dancers from India and abroad with her costumes. Raman has worked with several prominent names such as Astad Deboo, Aditi Mangaldas, Geeta Chandran, Anita Ratnam, Mallika Sarabhai, Malvika Sarukkai, and Madhavi Mudgal, spanning dance forms such as mohiniattam, bharatanatyam, kuchipudi, odissi, kathak, flamenco, American ballet and kathakali, among others.

“Once a dancer gets into a costume, they shouldn’t even realise that they are wearing the costume. A good costume never overpowers a dancer or the performance, it enhances the performance,” says Raman. To share her knowledge about costume designing with upcoming designers as well as performers, she will be conducting a two-day workshop called ‘Reimagining Dance Costumes’ in collaboration with the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai. Ahead of the event, she speaks to Mid-day.com about the changing mindset around costumes and the unique challenges of designing for dance.