Artistic Director
Shantha Ratii is widely recognised for her artistry, beguiling abhinaya, design-sense, eloquence and the gentle persuasive power that mark her performances. Having performed in the major festivals in India and internationally, she kept enriching her Kuchipudi classical repertoire with many regional literary works, giving it a newness in design and interpretation. She has also carved a new path in innovative and experimental works without loosing the intrinsic value, verve and vocabulary of her classical training.
Her avant garde style is evident in her productions on social transformation and present day concerns.
She has worked tirelessly for over four decades in creating new audiences and making dance accessible, ushering in a freshness, relevance and a sense of immediacy to her work.
Shantha Says
My life started at 5 when I was learning the rudiments of Bharatanatyam, which opened up the spectacular universe of dance to me, marking the beginning of a glorious journey!
Kathakali training at 7 brought storytelling and emoting to a new level of understanding. through the age-old wisdom in the Itihasa and Puranas. Discipline became a habit and the world of dance my playground for life!
Kuchipudi, eschewing the austerity that sometimes characterises Bharatanatyam, with its exuberance and flamboyance engulfed my life from my 20s.
As a modern woman. I received these magnificent forms and it filtered through my contemporary mind, giving me new ways of communicating traditional thoughts with a contemporary sensibility, which has helped me make my work more accessible and exciting, as well as bridging art and social issues and complex philosophical ideas.
Using the power of the classical idioms in experimental and innovative work continues as an adventure for me to engage the audiences and increase their awareness of how art can impact society. I draw from its depth to explore the potentiality of uniting people through dance.
Mostly I look at dance and live with it, through the wonderment of a child!
AND I dance to the music of my soul.
– Shantha Ratii
