A Bharatanatyam dancer, Tripura has pioneered dance movement therapy in India. Through workshops, she raises awareness about its psychotherapeutic potential. She has been recognized by the Indian Ministry of Culture and the Ashoka International Foundation for her innovative contributions to dance.

Tripura Kashyap is a Dance Movement Therapist and Dance Educator. She is also the Co-founder of the Creative Movement Therapy Association in India. Based in Delhi, she frequently travels nationwide and abroad for her work, organising workshops on dance therapy.

According to Tripura, Dance Movement Therapy serves as a means for individuals to express their emotions and thoughts through bodily movements. She primarily works with individuals who struggle with verbal expression, body coordination issues, and social skills deficits. By guiding them how to connect with their personal movement language, she helps them express suppressed emotions and thoughts, consequently facilitating improvement in various aspects of their personalities.

As a pioneer of Dance Therapy in India, Tripura has been training individuals to assist those with physical, emotional, and mental disabilities while also conducting numerous workshops to raise awareness about the therapy. Despite the therapeutic potential inherent in various dance forms, she noted that many people remained unaware of its benefits. In response, she co-founded the Creative Movement Therapy Association in India in 2014, aiming to unite individuals working for the concept under one platform and increase awareness about it through conferences and workshops.

Reflecting on her childhood, Tripura recalls being enrolled in a Bharatanatyam class at the age of six with the purpose to correct a squint in her eye, which disappeared after six months of dance training. Subsequently, she attended Kalakshetra, a college of Fine Arts in Chennai. She also lived in West Africa with her parents, where she fondly remembers connecting with others through dance and choreographing cultural activities.

Her interest in dance therapy deepened when she observed her brother, who had cerebral palsy, responding to music by moving in his wheelchair. Later, she had the opportunity to train in dance therapy in the US with Dr. Grace Valentine. She returned to India in 1990 and established herself as a prominent figure in the field.

Tripura draws inspiration from various individuals, including Rukmini Devi, the founder of Kalakshetra; Dr. Grace Valentine, who introduced her to dance therapy; Chandralekha, who has been working with her for the past many years; and her husband, who trained her in Mayurbhanj Chhau. Additionally, she finds spiritual guidance in the teachings of Buddha, emphasising the connection between dance therapy and Buddhism's principles of compassion, kindness, and love.

Sharing about her struggles, she acknowledges the challenges she faces in promoting dance therapy, as not many people know about it. She continues to conduct workshops to raise awareness about it and expresses the ongoing struggle of funding the organisation, often resorting to self-sponsorship.

Acknowledging her accolades, Tripura says she has received fellowships from the Indian Ministry of Culture and the Ashoka International Foundation for her contributions to dance. She was also honoured with the Lifelong Achievement Award from the Sancheti Healthcare Centre in Pune. She expresses joy in witnessing increased recognition of the benefits of creative dance therapy and hopes for wider awareness.

For aspiring dance therapists, Tripura advises that this field can be the bed of roses as it gives internal satisfaction when using dance therapy with different groups and individuals. But it also has its own thorn, and one must be aware of its challenges. She advises embracing the ‘four Ps’ while pursuing a career in the field: professionalism, pride, perseverance, and progression.

To the youth, she encourages them to take pride in their Indian identity and urges them to contribute to making their country a better place to live.