"Flowing elegance, breathtaking, moves like a temple sculpture come to life"
- San Francisco Voice
Savitha is a leading exponent of Bharathanatyam, the dance form of Southern India that has its cultural roots in ancient history. A very talented danseuse, she brings alive the classical traditions of the dance, sensitively nuanced with a creativity that imbues relevance and meaning to this art form in its current age. Savitha is known for enthralling audiences with performances that embody perfection in form and joy in expression, an intelligent fusion that comes from years of rigorous training, dedicated practice, and passion.
The dance journey of this illustrious artist commenced at the age of six under the guidance of Guru Mahalingam Pillai of the Raja Rajeshwari Dance Academy in Mumbai. Her debut performance was at the age of nine at the Asthika Samajam, Mumbai to an audience of over a thousand. She continued her artistic endeavor under the tutelage of world renowned gurus Padmabhushan VP Dhananjayan, Shanta Dhananjayan, and Padmashri Adyar K. Laxman in Chennai. The Cultural Ministry of the Government of India recognized the spark of excellence in the young ten year old and supported her with scholarships to pursue her training for the next decade.
Savitha is an empaneled artist with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. She has performed at highly prominent venues across India, the Middle East, Australia, South East Asia, Europe, and the United States. She was recently featured as a soloist in the prestigious San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival held in the Palace of Fine Arts. She has choreographed and directed several full length productions including 'Music Within', 'Krishna – the Supreme Mystic', 'Sacrifice', and 'Purushartha'. She is an ‘A’ grade Doordharshan (television) artist and was cast as the lead dancer in a motion picture production titled ‘Ananda Tandavam’ choreographed by her guru – Adyar K. Laxman. Each one of her recent performances the world over has been received with raptorous accolades from both critics and audiences. Even brief vignettes of these performances on YouTube elicit euphoric viewer reponses. Savitha's performance has been featured earlierthis year in a BBC Documentary titled 'Sex, Death, and the Gods', a film about the history of temple dancers in South India.
Savitha is deeply grounded in the Bharathanatyam tradition and her mission is to bring this art form to a wider audience without losing it's aesthetic and cultural integrity. As a solo dancer, Savitha is a pioneer in using the medium of Bharathanatyam to create new choreographies utilizing narratives and stories that allow the viewer to be connected with the presentation every step of the way. These special performances have reached out to new and diverse audiences around the globe, while the erudite have appreciated her initiative in using the age old tradition of Bharathanatyam in a novel and compelling manner.
The effortlessness and grace that are a hallmark of Savitha's performances emanate from a disciplined practice of Yoga. She has received specialized training in abhinaya (facial expressions) from workshops and classes conducted by Smt. Kalanidhi Narayan. Savitha believes that the way to keep an art alive is to train constantly and improvise judiciously. She continues the centuries old tradition of passing on this divine art form to the next generation by identifying and training students who have the dedication and passion for it. Her exclusive coterie of students train with her at the Sadhana Dance Academy. Savitha is the Artistic Director of Sai Shree Arts.
