Into the Music of Dance
Our Cover story this edition features three musicians and music composers for dance from India, who share their experiences of making music for dance
SUDHA RAGHURAMAN
Carnatic Vocalist, Composer and Music Arranger
What is that characteristic aspect that differentiates composing music for dance and composing music in general?
Composing music in general can be like tuning a particular song or putting swaras together or creating score for background music. It doesn’t need too many ideas. Simplicity is its charm.
But when we compose for dance, we get into details like the meaning of every word, the underlying meaning, the multiple layers of meanings, and also check if the composition is suitable to dance as an entire piece. While composing swaras for dance, it has to be adavu-compatible. Swaras need not be very mathematical and complex. Sometimes, mere raga lakshana swarams can convey the mood so much better than very skilled or technique- oriented swarams. Sometimes, the situation demands the swaras need more maths. That’s when we use complex patterns. There’s a great level of detailing that goes into composing for dance.
I personally feel that a singer or composer must know the meaning of every word/ line, the sthayi bhava of the particular poem/sahitya to be able to create something very beautiful and unique. The audience should be able to listen to the music and relate to the theme of what the dancer intends to portray. One should be able to grasp the theme by listening to the music, with closed eyes. To achieve that requires a lot of hard work. It doesn’t happen in a day.
The music of dance should also be able to exist as standalone. Even if one were to listen to it without watching the dance, they must be able to grasp it and create their own dance with it.
By virtue of being a musician for dance, what is your relationship with dance and the dancer?
Having worked in the field of dance with senior dancers and this generation of dancers for three decades now, I have learnt that every dancer is unique, every dancer has their own strengths and shortcomings and every musician too has their own share of shortcomings. If we could work on our strengths and create meaningful pieces of art, I’d say we are doing something right.
Every time a musician sings for a particular dancer, the musician should sound like that dancer. The music must dance and the dance should sing. I think this is crucial; the two are inseparable.
When I sing for dance, I become one with the dancer in a performance. There can be no other distraction other than the music, dance, bhava and melody. This is the synergy that is created. To me, every dance programme that I sing for is as much my own programme – never to supersede the main artiste, but to be completely involved in the performance.
Many a time, the dancer may not fix the repetitions. So one has to be super alert and spontaneously respond to the dance. The dance and the dancer should be with the musician. For me, I become the dancer, a co-performer and I recognise the dancer is the main performer.
Every dancer has a signature style of their own. Do you keep that in mind when you begin composing? What is your process like?
Certainly. If I compose music for dance, the composition should sound like it reflects their dance. Their signature style in dance should reflect in the music.
I have a particular practice to let go of the classic Sudha style while singing for dancers. Only after working for hundreds of kutcheris, did I realise my strengths and weaknesses.
What matters is also chemistry; it is important to have a good relationship with the dancer you are working with to be able to produce good music. Any small differences will show up on stage and in the composition.
Over the years of composing and performing music for dance, how have you evolved as a creative artiste?
I have certainly evolved over the years. But that has come from years of singing and learning from my mistakes. I was barely 20, when Leela (Samson) Akka called me one morning and asked me to sing for a programme that very evening. We had only one rehearsal soon after that phone call and I went on stage. At that point, my focus was only on singing what we’d rehearsed right more than taking my music or the dance to the next level.
Today, I have evolved so much as a dance-musician because of the efforts of the dancers I have worked with and my own interest to understand the concepts and themes I work with meticulously. I follow up what I do with more research and create for myself a vision of my own. I have been very fortunate to be associated with wonderful artistes from all over the world. They give me the freedom of imagination to pursue and evolve with my own craft.
Can you – from your repertoire – share with us one project that has been challenging and invigorating at the same time?
Moving Boundaries by Rama was a challenging project. The lyrics were minimal lyrics and there were three different pieces of various genres on the topic of bliss. It was not easy working on this, especially in the middle of the pandemic when people’s mental health was at an all-time low. But that also helped me to create something very unique.
With minimal lyrics and three stories for 45 minutes, I just used the grammar and manodharma, to create music for this project.
Working on Shakunthalam has helped me appreciate Sanskrit more and it has now become my favourite language. Kashi by Meera Balasubramianm was composed without the dancer working with me, in-person. Purushotama for Aravinth choreographed by Rama Vaidyanathan and Pratidhvani for Geeta (Chandran) ji also was created on echo.
There have been many challenging projects and I only hope to create better and more beautiful music in the coming years.
KARTHIK HEBBAR
Musician, Writer, Playwright, Director
What is that characteristic aspect that differentiates composing music for dance and composing music in general?
Composing music is always defined by a purpose. The purpose may be to explore a raga, an emotion or even a rhythmic embellishment. These abstract compositions might find a form in dance too because dance is music visualised after all!
When we compose for dance exclusively, the focus is always on achieving a certain emotional flavour. The composing has to be part of the storytelling and most often with music, we try to bring to life the subtexts that a narrative might not convey. Composing for dance requires a vivid imagination and the ability to break away from the mould of composing a general kriti.
By virtue of being a musician for dance, what is your relationship with dance and the dancer?
We are extensions of each other and feed off each other’s energies on stage. There is a lot of give and take that goes on on stage. When there is room for artistic dialogue, a very layered presentation manifests and both artists go back taking a lot from the performance. Unfortunately, many dancers now are slaves to recorded music or do not make the effort to train themselves in music. In those cases there is an impermeable wall between the artistes, and the presentation is reduced to mere repetitions and other technicalities. When the dancer and musician are divorced, the art that they create is nothing but a broken home.
My relationship with dance is that of unabashed love. Dance enriches my imagination and music.
Every dancer has a signature style of their own. Do you keep that in mind when you begin composing? What is your process like?
Yes and No. The signature haunts us both; the composer and the dancer. The idea is to make the individual ego vanish and let the art flourish. I personally don’t like to compose for an individual style (of a dancer) because compositions like that will eventually fade. Every piece of work must be universal and accessible. The composition can be tailored to suit the particular dancer but if the composition in itself is bound to a certain artiste, it will have no value.
I meditate on the core objective of the creation. I wait for the thoughts and ideas to come to me. The ideas and the raga(s) have to come together. I mull over the raga for a while and try to catch the flavour of the raga that I would like to unfurl for this particular composition. Once there is a vague structure in mind, I pen it down while singing it. My main attempt is to show and not tell through the compositions.
Over the years of composing and performing music for dance, how have you evolved as a creative artiste?
I would like to believe that I have evolved! When you find the gift of visualising your music, your relationship with music changes. Singing old compositions and very traditional dance repertoire pieces has opened a huge gate of understanding for me. The music scene today is completely scale-driven and ragas are handled as scales with which one can experiment.
In the old dance compositions like Pada Varnams, Padams and Javalis, we see how ragas were living entities with both tonal and emotional bodies and not mere scales. Dance music has helped me find a lot of depth in my understanding of art, the power of simplicity and sometimes the joy of complete abandon!
Can you – from your repertoire – share with us one project that has been challenging and invigorating at the same time?
All projects are extremely gratifying but if I have to pick one, I would say Nibhandana by the Sankhya Dance Company was very challenging. In it, I had to sing like a composer, even though we had picked compositions from the traditional margam. The challenge was to find a story in a Jatiswaram, contemporary truths in a Varnam and emotional character in a Thillana. It was a beautiful experience to journey with the artistes and discuss the bhava of each raga with them and build a bridge between my voice and their dancing bodies.
Shreemant Yogi, was a challenge too. The premise being Shivaji, I was skeptical of finding a common ground if the production would eventually lead to glorifying hate and religious extremism. It was heart-warming for me to evolve into a person who can see history without colours, in black and white. It was about finding that spot between facts, fiction, extremism and artistic telling. The Sankhya company decided to look at the human side of a warrior king and his dilemmas and that was an interesting idea to work with. I had to create a piece that just shows the dilemma of the king. His struggle between war and devotion, violence and renunciation. We decided to create that piece with just raga and no text and it blossomed into a very fine piece of art!
RAJKUMAR BHARATHI
Musician, Composer
What is that characteristic aspect that differentiates composing music for dance and composing music in general?
Composing music in general has to bring out the content of either the lyrics or the scene, musically. But when it comes to dance, it is more pronounced because there are two axes – the horizontal being the music and the vertical being the visual. When we only listen to music, we can visualize the song depending on the lyrics (if one has the capability) through music. But in dance, it is two-fold with both audio and visual elements.
By virtue of being a musician for dance, what is your relationship with dance and the dancer?
My relationship with dance is according to the content and as per the visualization of the dance. When I am given a subject and asked to tune it accordingly, I try to visualize the theme in my own way, with my limited knowledge on dance. But I will try and realise it in the best way possible.
In creating music for dance, the dancer is the protagonist. Whatever I do is ultimately for the dancer. So I give priority to the dancer, their visualization of the dance. Then I try to look through their eyes. In case I have a different perspective, I share it with them and together we attempt to strike a balance.
Every dancer has a signature style of their own. Do you keep that in mind when you begin composing? What is your process like?
I only always go by the content the dancer shares with me. But almost always, when a subject or an idea is shared with me by a dancer, their signature style is already well incorporated into their sharing. When they describe the scene they want to portray or project in a particular way, I can already visualise their style in it. That becomes my starting point. In the event that I have a different approach or perspective, I discuss it with them and depending on their response, the music takes shape.
Over the years of composing and performing music for dance, how have you evolved as a creative artiste?
Making music for dance has really helped me open up as an artiste. I no longer have any closed views on music or themes or about the way music has to be made. For example, if a dancer tells me about a subject and I feel contemporary music would work well for it but the dancer insists on traditional music, I try to look at it from their perspective and do the best that I can. Having said that, I am always seeking every opportunity to create something new with whatever I do.
Sometimes, in my mind, when I conceive a scene, a particular music is very suitable. I have experienced this in the case of Savitha Sastry’s work. Usually her husband Srikanth, who does the story, would play music to suit the theme of the work. But I never accept it like that. I always listen to the music, try and do some research on it, wear his glasses and see if it is suitable. I always like to keep my options open.
As a result, the journey has become an evolution and also made me very mature as an artiste and human. Recently, I created music for a production called Arisi for Apsaras Arts. It is about rice. There is no storyline per se. I worked with the Chinese orchestra, learned a lot from them, understood how their instruments worked and tried to match our music with theirs. It has been wonderful to work with different kinds of musicians, and genres of music, and all of this opens up a vista of possibilities.
From a spiritual perspective, every time I work on a composition, I do it with an open heart without any prejudice and no favouritism, which means it gives me an opportunity to kill my ego.
Can you – from your repertoire – share with us one project that has been challenging and invigorating at the same time?
Every project is challenging. Some push you out of your comfort zone. For instance, Arisi was one such project with different types of musicians. Another was Anjaneyam by Apsaras Arts, where I had to work with different dancers, musicians and it was a huge production.
Jayanthi Subramaniam’s production of Jonathan Livingston Seagull had no lyrics. It was based on the story from the book. Every project that I have done so far has been very challenging and invigorating.
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T Ramanan started learning mridangam at the age of 12 from the late Sri R Thangavelu of Kuala Lumpur. In 1981, he joined the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society and studied under the loving care of Sri Karaikudi R Krishnamurthy. Ramanan passed his mridangam final examination conducted by the Society in June 1984 with distinction and was awarded a certificate of merit. This was followed by his arrangetram during Sri T V Sankaranarayanan’s concert in July 1984.
Ramanan has been performing regularly since 1981 and has accompanied many accomplished musicians and dancers, both locally and abroad. To date, he has provided mridangam accompaniment for more than 350 Bharatanatyam arangetrams.
Shivangi started her Kathak journey under the tutelage of guru Dr. Sadhana Naphde in Nagpur, India. She reached her first milestone when she was awarded a National Scholarship in the field of Kathak by Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India and received intensive training under the able guidance of Guru Smt. Shama Bhate. Over the years, Shivangi has had the privilege to learn from the legend, Padmavibhushan Pt. Birju Maharaj, in numerous workshops and she has also been a part of Maharajji’s various choreographies for live performances and television. She has successfully completed her Visharad and Alankar in Kathak from Gandharva Mahavidyala and Master of Fine Arts (specialisation in Kathak). She is the recipient of various awards such as,”Nritya Kala Praveena” by Samskar Bharati, Hyderabad, “Nritya Shri” by Kiran Sanstha, Katni, M.P, Winner of National level Inter University Youth Festival of India for 2 consecutive years, “Nritya Kala Nipun” by Nalanda Dance Research Centre, Mumbai, ” Pt.V D Paluskar Award ” winner by Sharada Sangeet Vidyalaya, Mumbai. She has given numerous solo performances in India, Singapore, Malaysia, Reunion Islands, Japan & USA. Shivangi is passionate about imparting her art to young and old alike instilling them a love for beauty, grace and excellence.
Mohanapriyan Thavarajah has been the Resident Choreographer and Principal Dancer with Apsaras Arts since 2012.
Originally from Batticaloa, Srilanka, he has completed his Bachelors & Masters in Fine Arts (2005-2012) at) at Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts, affiliate of Bharthidasan University, India under the tutelage of Ogeswari Shanmuganathan (Alumni of Kalakshetra Foundation, and has earned his MPhil (2014-2016) from Tanjavur Tamil University, India. His MPhil dissertation researched Cambodia’s Angkor Wat from a dancer’s perspective. A book on this is currently in the midst of being published. He is currently pursuing his PhD on the study of the influence of the roots of Indian culture and religion in Indonesian & Thai dance forms. Besides being a Bharatanatyam practitioner and researcher, he has also been trained in Kuchipudi under the tutelage of Kishore Mosalikanti. Today, he is being mentored by the renowned Bharatanatyam dancer, Priyadarshini Govind.
Since 2007, Mohanapriyan has received numerous awards and titles such as “Narthana Vithakan” and “Bharatha Kala Mani” for his performance proficiency in Bharatanatyam from various organisations in India, Sri Lanka and Singapore. He has received significant critical acclaim for his imaginative and innovative choreography for both his ensemble and solo work that bring together the traditional vocabulary of the tenants of Bharatanatyam while retaining a vitalized interpretation and relevance to modern audiences. His in-depth research and deep understanding of South East Asian dance traditions has also made him a gifted & comprehensive designer of production costumes, headgear, jewelry and makeup. His deep aesthetic sense and creative knowledge in craft and design has enabled him to create spellbinding visual spectacles for many Apsaras Arts productions. Mohanapriyan has presented many dance research topics at seminars and workshops and is a well-regarded mentor and sought-after teacher for many young & upcoming dancers in France, USA, India and Singapore.
Vijaya Nadesan has been a senior student and performer of Apsaras Art for the past 30 years and now specializes in Arts Education programs for schools. She started her formal Bharatanatyam training in 1987 under the tutelage of the Cultural Medallion Recipient, Mrs. Neila Sathyalingam. During her two decades of dancing, she has performed with People’s Association (1990-2000) and have gained experiences in Multi Ethnic, Folk and Contemporary dance forms. Her Arangetram in 1999 was a culmination of her varied experiences in ensemble work. She has been part of many travelling dance productions overseas – China, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, India representing Singapore’s multi-ethnic dances. Today, she is overall in-charge of overseas productions and overseas project financing, vendor management, logistic and rehearsal scheduling. Over the decades, she has developed coaching and mentoring skills of varied Indian dance forms in schools and has helped schools achieve awards for schools at the Singapore Youth Festival. She has also cultivated a keen interest in teaching the traditional dance form to non-indian dancers in schools. Her teaching method involves interacting closely with students and meticulously creating structured learning techniques for her students which has helped her create innovative choreography.
Seema Hari Kumar began her journey in dance at the age of eight under the tutelage of Mrs Neila Sathyalingam and has been a teaching faculty member for over 17 years. She has performed in over 15 National Day Parades and Chingay Processions under the banner of the People’s Association and has collaborated on various national-level events with the Singapore Multi-Ethnic Dance Ensemble (SMEDE). Besides being on the dance ensemble of all Apsaras Arts’ local productions such as Aarupadai, Aalam, Nirmanika, Heroines of Raja Ravi Varma etc. since 2001, Seema has also taken the global stage with the Company at international arts festivals in Australia, Bali, Cambodia, India, South Africa, Thailand, Liverpool and Vietnam. Apart from performing, Seema has also expanded her portfolio to include choreography and teaching. She has assisted in the choreography and mentoring of schools during the Singapore Youth Festivals in 2004-2006. In 2011, she was also identified as a mentor-choreographer on Vasantham Central’s “Salangai Oli” programme where she mentored and choreographed the items performed by the finalist in the competition. Besides her dance career, Seema majored in Political Science, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from National University of Singapore in 2006 and works in the events management industry.
Shivangi started her Kathak journey under the tutelage of guru Dr. Sadhana Naphde in Nagpur, India. She reached her first milestone when she was awarded a National Scholarship in the field of Kathak by Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India and received intensive training under the able guidance of Guru Smt. Shama Bhate. Over the years, Shivangi has had the privilege to learn from the legend, Padmavibhushan Pt. Birju Maharaj, in numerous workshops and she has also been a part of Maharajji’s various choreographies for live performances and television. She has successfully completed her Visharad and Alankar in Kathak from Gandharva Mahavidyala and Master of Fine Arts (specialisation in Kathak). She is the recipient of various awards such as,”Nritya Kala Praveena” by Samskar Bharati, Hyderabad, “Nritya Shri” by Kiran Sanstha, Katni, M.P, Winner of National level Inter University Youth Festival of India for 2 consecutive years, “Nritya Kala Nipun” by Nalanda Dance Research Centre, Mumbai, ” Pt.V D Paluskar Award ” winner by Sharada Sangeet Vidyalaya, Mumbai. She has given numerous solo performances in India, Singapore, Malaysia, Reunion Islands, Japan & USA. Shivangi is passionate about imparting her art to young and old alike instilling them a love for beauty, grace and excellence.
Soumee De is a dancer, teacher and choreographer who has been training in Indian Classical dance forms- Kathak and Odissi, since the age of four. Soumee is a disciple of Guru Ratikant Mohapatra at Srjan, Bhubaneswar, India and currently an Odissi faculty at Apsaras Arts, Singapore. She is a co-founder of “Ethos -Exploring the Odissi Spirit,” a community of Odissi dancers in Singapore and recently hosted a series of Odissi related educational webcasts “ODE” featuring global scholars, dancers and teachers for holistic learning of dancers. She is the editor of Aavartana monthly newsletter published by Apsaras Arts and actively blogs in social media as a dance reviewer with the vision of growing the growing its appreciation beyond the boundaries of communities, borders, generations. Soumee also offers “Dance-telling” programs at The Artground and volunteers as a “Balvikas” teacher at Temple of Fine Arts for preschool young children. Among the recent performances, she was featured as a solo artiste at the Dance India Asia Pacific showcase by Esplanade Theatres on the Bay; performed in a new collaborative work “Kanna Va” by IndianRaga and Apsaras Arts in September 2020; conducted a workshop on “Ramayana through Odissi and Puppetry” at the Digital Culture festival by Indian Heritage Center; staged her new choreography “Ritu Ranga” at the Artwalk Little India Festival in January 2020-2019; “River Ramble” at the Stamford Arts Center opening by NAC in 2019; “Phenomenal Women” on International Women’s Day at The American Club and performed a full length solo repertoire at “Tribhanga” in the Darshana Intimate Dance Series by Apsaras Arts. She is an Economics graduate, completed an MBA in Human Resources and works as a management consultant to create a “better working world.”
Gayathri Chachithanandar holds a First class – Post graduate Diploma from Kalakshetra Foundation where she graduated as the “Best Overall Student” in both Bharatanatyam and Carnatic Vocal disciplines in 2009. Hailing from Srilanka, she gained her initial training with Smt. Haridevi Jayasundara school of Fine Arts and North Ceylon Oriental Music Society. She also underwent advanced Bharatanatyam training under the tutelage of Sri. Sheejith Krishna, co-founder of Sahrdaya Foundation, Chennai, India.
As an accomplished teacher of 10 years, Gayathri has taught at Sahrdaya Foundation and at Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society (SIFAS). As a performer, she has performed all over the world, both solo and as part of ensemble productions in India, Srilanka, Singapore, Mauritius and Reunion Islands. Apart from Bharatanatyam, Gayathri’s excellent qualifications in Carnatic Vocals, Mridangam and Nattuvangam have made her unique teacher, able to impart not only the knowledge of the divine dance form but also teach the other building components of Dance, such as Music, Culture and Language.
Soumee De is a dancer, teacher and choreographer who has been training in Indian Classical dance forms- Kathak and Odissi, since the age of four. Soumee is a disciple of Guru Ratikant Mohapatra at Srjan, Bhubaneswar, India and currently an Odissi faculty at Apsaras Arts, Singapore. She is a co-founder of “Ethos -Exploring the Odissi Spirit,” a community of Odissi dancers in Singapore and recently hosted a series of Odissi related educational webcasts “ODE” featuring global scholars, dancers and teachers for holistic learning of dancers. She is the editor of Aavartana monthly newsletter published by Apsaras Arts and actively blogs in social media as a dance reviewer with the vision of growing the growing its appreciation beyond the boundaries of communities, borders, generations. Soumee also offers “Dance-telling” programs at The Artground and volunteers as a “Balvikas” teacher at Temple of Fine Arts for preschool young children. Among the recent performances, she was featured as a solo artiste at the Dance India Asia Pacific showcase by Esplanade Theatres on the Bay; performed in a new collaborative work “Kanna Va” by IndianRaga and Apsaras Arts in September 2020; conducted a workshop on “Ramayana through Odissi and Puppetry” at the Digital Culture festival by Indian Heritage Center; staged her new choreography “Ritu Ranga” at the Artwalk Little India Festival in January 2020-2019; “River Ramble” at the Stamford Arts Center opening by NAC in 2019; “Phenomenal Women” on International Women’s Day at The American Club and performed a full length solo repertoire at “Tribhanga” in the Darshana Intimate Dance Series by Apsaras Arts. She is an Economics graduate, completed an MBA in Human Resources and works as a management consultant to create a “better working world.”
Mohanapriyan Thavarajah has been the Resident Choreographer and Principal Dancer with Apsaras Arts since 2012.
Originally from Batticaloa, Srilanka, he has completed his Bachelors & Masters in Fine Arts (2005-2012) at) at Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts, affiliate of Bharthidasan University, India under the tutelage of Ogeswari Shanmuganathan (Alumni of Kalakshetra Foundation, and has earned his MPhil (2014-2016) from Tanjavur Tamil University, India. His MPhil dissertation researched Cambodia’s Angkor Wat from a dancer’s perspective. A book on this is currently in the midst of being published. He is currently pursuing his PhD on the study of the influence of the roots of Indian culture and religion in Indonesian & Thai dance forms. Besides being a Bharatanatyam practitioner and researcher, he has also been trained in Kuchipudi under the tutelage of Kishore Mosalikanti. Today, he is being mentored by the renowned Bharatanatyam dancer, Priyadarshini Govind.
Since 2007, Mohanapriyan has received numerous awards and titles such as “Narthana Vithakan” and “Bharatha Kala Mani” for his performance proficiency in Bharatanatyam from various organisations in India, Sri Lanka and Singapore. He has received significant critical acclaim for his imaginative and innovative choreography for both his ensemble and solo work that bring together the traditional vocabulary of the tenants of Bharatanatyam while retaining a vitalized interpretation and relevance to modern audiences. His in-depth research and deep understanding of South East Asian dance traditions has also made him a gifted & comprehensive designer of production costumes, headgear, jewelry and makeup. His deep aesthetic sense and creative knowledge in craft and design has enabled him to create spellbinding visual spectacles for many Apsaras Arts productions. Mohanapriyan has presented many dance research topics at seminars and workshops and is a well-regarded mentor and sought-after teacher for many young & upcoming dancers in France, USA, India and Singapore.
Seema Hari Kumar began her journey in dance at the age of eight under the tutelage of Mrs Neila Sathyalingam and has been a teaching faculty member for over 17 years. She has performed in over 15 National Day Parades and Chingay Processions under the banner of the People’s Association and has collaborated on various national-level events with the Singapore Multi-Ethnic Dance Ensemble (SMEDE). Besides being on the dance ensemble of all Apsaras Arts’ local productions such as Aarupadai, Aalam, Nirmanika, Heroines of Raja Ravi Varma etc. since 2001, Seema has also taken the global stage with the Company at international arts festivals in Australia, Bali, Cambodia, India, South Africa, Thailand, Liverpool and Vietnam. Apart from performing, Seema has also expanded her portfolio to include choreography and teaching. She has assisted in the choreography and mentoring of schools during the Singapore Youth Festivals in 2004-2006. In 2011, she was also identified as a mentor-choreographer on Vasantham Central’s “Salangai Oli” programme where she mentored and choreographed the items performed by the finalist in the competition. Besides her dance career, Seema majored in Political Science, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from National University of Singapore in 2006 and works in the events management industry.
Gayathri Chachithanandar holds a First class – Post graduate Diploma from Kalakshetra Foundation where she graduated as the “Best Overall Student” in both Bharatanatyam and Carnatic Vocal disciplines in 2009. Hailing from Srilanka, she gained her initial training with Smt. Haridevi Jayasundara school of Fine Arts and North Ceylon Oriental Music Society. She also underwent advanced Bharatanatyam training under the tutelage of Sri. Sheejith Krishna, co-founder of Sahrdaya Foundation, Chennai, India.
As an accomplished teacher of 10 years, Gayathri has taught at Sahrdaya Foundation and at Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society (SIFAS). As a performer, she has performed all over the world, both solo and as part of ensemble productions in India, Srilanka, Singapore, Mauritius and Reunion Islands. Apart from Bharatanatyam, Gayathri’s excellent qualifications in Carnatic Vocals, Mridangam and Nattuvangam have made her unique teacher, able to impart not only the knowledge of the divine dance form but also teach the other building components of Dance, such as Music, Culture and Language.
Chitra Pubalan has learnt Bharatanatyam since the age of five. She started her journey at Usharani Subramaniam School of Dance in Singapore and completed her Arangetram in 2002. In 2006, she joined Apsaras Arts under the tutelage of Srimathi Neila Sathyalingam. She has had the privilege of performing in various venues across Singapore, participating in stage productions and been part of international dance tours to India, Australia and London. Besides teaching and performing, Chitra graduated from National Institute of Education (NIE) with a post graduate diploma in education. Today, she combines her dance teaching while being a baking entrepreneur and raising her young daughter.
V Loganayaki Govindarajan has been a student turned performer and teacher in Bharatanatyam under the tutelage of Cultural Medallion Singapore Legend Smt. Neila Sathiyalingam since 1992. She completed her Diploma in Bharatanatyam and Arangetram in 2008, after years of intensive local and international trainings and performances. She had the rare opportunities to learn and perform with distinguished Apsaras senior students/alumni like V. Balakrishnun, Kavitha Krishnan, Vijaya Nadesan, Nagaletchumi Balasubramanian, Selvi Radhakrishnan and the Kesavan Sisters: Jayanthi and Suganthi. Beyond Singapore, she has also worked in productions by Ajith Bhaskar, Geethashankaran Lam, Sri Nimal Raj as well as Neha Mondal Chakrabothy from Malaysia. She has also completed training in vocal music under the tutelage of Eelanallur Sri Sathiyalingam, late Co-Founder of Apsaras Arts Singapore, Sri Sampagodu Vignaraja, Founder of Surya Global Music Academy Bangalore, India and music together with nattuvangam classes under the tutelage of Sri Nimal Raj, Natya Rajyam, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She holds a BA in Psychology and enjoys working with children and grooming them into responsible individuals. She has a love for yoga, communal cooking and advocating green practices.
Vijaya Nadesan – Academy Principal
Vijaya Nadesan has been a senior student and performer of Apsaras Art for the past 30 years and now specializes in Arts Education programs for schools. She started her formal Bharatanatyam training in 1987 under the tutelage of the Cultural Medallion Recipient, Mrs. Neila Sathyalingam. During her two decades of dancing, she has performed with People’s Association (1990-2000) and have gained experiences in Multi Ethnic, Folk and Contemporary dance forms. Her Arangetram in 1999 was a culmination of her varied experiences in ensemble work. She has been part of many travelling dance productions overseas – China, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, India representing Singapore’s multi-ethnic dances. Today, she is overall in-charge of overseas productions and overseas project financing, vendor management, logistic and rehearsal scheduling. Over the decades, she has developed coaching and mentoring skills of varied Indian dance forms in schools and has helped schools achieve awards for schools at the Singapore Youth Festival. She has also cultivated a keen interest in teaching the traditional dance form to non-indian dancers in schools. Her teaching method involves interacting closely with students and meticulously creating structured learning techniques for her students which has helped her create innovative choreography.