In a cosmopolitan city like Mumbai, it's not hard to come by performing arts from across the world. And if the audience takes a liking to a dance form, its journey from the stage to a workshop is a swift one, too. But what tends to get sidelined in the process is the story of its evolution, or place in the larger cultural context. With the aim to showcase dance forms from across the world, and give the audience a glimpse into their history, the National Centre of Performing Arts has initiated a new dance festival called Spectrum. "The primary focus of our dance programming has been Indian classical dance. With the NCPA completing 50 years next year, we felt it's a good time to include more international forms in our programming. The idea, as the festival's name suggests, is to cover a spectrum of dance styles," shares Swapnokalpa Dasgupta, Odissi dancer and head, programming – dance.