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Music

06

Faces of Bharatanatyam in Singapore

Individuals sharing the art of Bharatanatyam

santha bhaskar.jpg

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Some of her works

  • Butterfly Lovers (1958) (Chinese folk tale)

  • Manohra (1996) (Thai mythological story)

  • Rasa & Dhwani (2003)

  • People Get Connected (2006)

  • CHAKRA (2012)

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Santha Bhaskar

She first joined Bhaskar’s Arts Academy in 1955 after marrying the late KP Bhaskar and has been the artistic director since then. She teaches and choreographs at Bhaskar’s Arts Academy, Nrityalaya Aesthetics Society and is the chief choreographer at Centre for the Arts (National University of Singapore). She has a unique innovative choreographing style as she experiments with fusing Bharatanatyam with Chinese, Malay, Thai and Western dance styles.

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She was awarded the prestigious Cultural Medallion by the Singapore government in 1990. Her other awards include the “Natya Kalanidhi” award by the great poet Suddhananda Bharathiyar in 1957, “Kala Rani” award by Indian Film Arts Society and “Kala Ratnam” award by the Singapore Fine Arts Society. Aside from Bharatanatyam, she is also trained in Mohiniyattam and Kathakali.

Ambujah_Thiru.jpg

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Some of her performances

  • Manohra (1996)

  • Nayika (2000)

  • Maatha (2002)

  • CHAKRA (2009)

  • Thandava (2010)

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Ambujah Thirunavukarasu

She was introduced to Bharatanatyam by a student of Mr and Mrs Bhaskar. Currently, she is a teacher at Nrityalaya Aesthetics Society and Bhaskar’s Arts Academy. Additionally, she is a dancer in the Bhaskar’s Arts Academy performing troupe. She is known to be an expressive dancer who is able to captivate the audience with her charming performance.

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She has earned the Postgraduate Certificate of Honours by Nrityalaya Aesthetics Society. Her first major choreographic production is Thirukutrala Kuravanji (2008). She has also played lead roles in countless productions which include Vinayaka (2003), Sita’s Complaint (1993) and Vikramorvasiyam (2002).

References

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Bhaskar’s Arts Academy. (n.d.). Choreographers | Bhaskar’s Arts Academy. Retrieved February 9, 2021, from https://www.bhaskarsartsacademy.com/people/choreographers/

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Nrityalaya Aesthetics Society. (n.d.). Instructors | Nrityalaya Aesthetics Society. Retrieved February 9, 2021, from https://nas.org.sg/members/instructors/

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Yeo, A. (2021, January 6). Indian dance pioneer Santha Bhaskar on the limitless possibilities of choreography. Tatler Singapore. https://sg.asiatatler.com/life/singapore-indian-dance-pioneer-santha-bhaskar

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© Averil, Carmen, Janice and Lisha, First Year Students, Diploma in Arts Business Management, Ngee Ann Polytechnic. All rights reserved.

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