Kanaka Sabha Centre for the Performing Arts was established in 1982 to promote the appreciation of Indian classical dance in Mumbai. From its inception, its mission has been to teach classical dance at a very nominal fee so as to make the tradition accessible to society at large, and not just the preserve of an elite minority. Over the years, more than a hundred students have studied dance at Kanaka Sabha. Its students and alumni have regularly won prizes at prestigious competitions at local, state and national levels, performed in India and abroad, have been reviewed favourably by the press, have become graded dancers at Doordarshan and won Government dance fellowships.

Kanaka Sabha has presented several dance dramas in the past to critical acclaim. Among these are Kamba Ramayanam (in Tamil), Parvati Kalyanam (in Telugu), Narayaneeyam (in Sanskrit), Jaya Jaya Ganesha (in Marathi), and Tulsidas Ramayan (in Hindi). Recently, it embarked on an educational project consisting of a series of lecture demonstrations and workshops and dance competitions in schools to promote the appreciation of dance among the very young. In 1998, the Kanaka Sabha troupe performed several recitals of classical and folk dance, and in the premier presentation of Buddha Charita in Hong Kong.