Thudippu Dance Foundation
Thudippu Dance Foundation (TDP) was born out of rhythm and resilience, founded in Kerala by Indian dance artists Anjali Krishnadas and Ponnu Sanjeev during the stillness of the COVID-19 pandemic. What began as a series of digital dance sessions to keep the arts breathing soon took shape as something large, a vision to democratise performance, and a movement to make art a right, not a privilege.
Like its name, Thudippu, the heartbeat, this foundation exists to keep the rhythm alive for everyone. No matter where they come from.
This women-led organisation roots its belief that everyone deserves a space to move, create, and belong. Thudippu is now a registered public trust and a thriving artistic ecosystem. Its heart beats in Kochi at the Thudippu Studio. In this multidisciplinary space, the lines between student and teacher, tradition and innovation, stage and street blur into a celebration of movement.
Vision and Mission- At TDP, identity is not a gatekeeper. Regardless of age, gender, religion, or background, the door is always open whether you’re stepping in with years of experience or none at all. It’s a space where art doesn’t ask you to fit in, it asks you to show up.With a strong pulse of social responsibility, the foundation champions voices and bodies often left out of the mainstream spotlight. TDP seeks out underrepresented art forms and artists from marginalised communities, not as tokens, but as torchbearers of cultural depth and diversity. The goal? To build a richer, more equitable artistic landscape that reflects the full spectrum of what “Indian arts” truly are and can be.
Challenge
TDP’s in-house tech professionals built and maintained their website, keeping everything running smoothly. But after parting ways with them, the team was left without the technical know-how to update or manage the site independently. While the website was live, adding new content or making changes became a challenge and hiring a new tech expert solely to manage routine updates. turned out to be too expensive for Thudippu’s limited budget as a small, community-driven arts foundation.
Introduction to OASIS- At OASIS (Open Source Alliance for Social Innovation & Sustainability), we’ve been curating spaces where nonprofits and open-source communities come together to explore how technology can enable deeper impact. OASIS is built by and for the community.After coming across OASIS on social media,TDF decided to reach out for support with their website needs. With limited technical expertise and a tight budget, they were looking for a partner who understood the unique context of a small, community-driven arts foundation.They shared a clear set of requirements for the website, something functional, easy to manage, and deeply reflective of Thudippu’s values. They needed a space that could showcase their programs, events, and artistic collaborations while staying accessible and inclusive to diverse audiences. Most importantly, they wanted to be able to update and manage content, like uploading new classes, event details, or media, without having to rely on a full-time tech expert.
Expert’s Take
When OASIS first introduced Hari Narayanan, a web developer affiliated with the FOSS United Foundation, the onboarding process stood out for its warmth and creative freedom. The process was such that they could freely collaborate while maintaining their design style, allowing Thudippu to shape its own digital presence without becoming reliant on third-party support. For Hari, this was as much about designing empathy into tech as it was about usability. With a background in open source technology and involvement in the FOSS United Foundation, Hari saw Ghost as the ideal platform—lightweight, open source, and easy for non-technical users to manage. The site was hosted with the support of Aikyam, an organization dedicated to empowering communities through the development of open-source software solutions. The new site replaced the previous, cluttered version with a clean, aligned layout that made Thudippu’s work instantly accessible to visitors. Through this project, Hari gained valuable perspective on designing accessible digital experiences for organizations focused on real-world impact.
Ultimately, the collaboration showed how leveraging open source tools can empower grassroots non-profits to build cost-effective, customizable solutions that amplify their voices and strengthen community connections.
Reflecting on the project, Hari shared - “Designing the website for Thudippu taught me how to create more accessible and manageable digital spaces for people without a tech background.”- Hari
Way Forward
“As an organisation made up mostly of artists, we often found it challenging to navigate the technical side of things. Your team’s support made a big difference, it not only gave us the clarity we needed and saved time and effort.” - Anjali Krishnadas
- Saved â‚ą2,000/month on website maintenance and management costs, helping optimise tech and operational budgets
- Gained content independence
- No longer reliant on tech personnel