Artistic Director

Symbolizing the peak of purity and performance, Sudha Chandra Sekhar has been classed with "the all-time greats" of classical Bharata Natyam and Kuchipudi schools. Meticulous in each portrayal and adhering to the purity of style, Sudha has become "one of those artists who combine versatility and artistry." As a dedicated dancer and a rare genius, Sudha understands the art, is very much alive in the field and has shifted her activities from India to the U.S. and Canada. Sudha has given over 5,000 performances in many parts of India and abroad. She conducts classes for young aspirants and also imparts theory classes for those interested in her art. During summer recesses Sudha has conducted advanced dance camps and workshops both in U.S. and Canada, where students have intensive training and research opportunities. She has also taught seasonal course sessions and independent study courses through University of Windsor, Wayne State University, Albion College and University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Though a long-time professional, Sudha has always helped various charitable institutions and temples to raise funds for worthy causes.

Sudha's extensive experience dates back to 1943 when she first began her classical dance training in Manipuri and Kathak at the Rupatayan Institute in Bombay, India. She began studying Bharata Natyam in 1945 under the guidance of such greats as Sri Thiruvadamaradur Kuppiah Pillai, Guru A.T. Govindraj Pillai, Srimati Karunambal, Guru T.K. Mahalingam Pillai and Guru K. Kalyanasundaram, the renowned masters of the Sri Rajarajeshwari Bharata Natya Kalamandir. They trained her intensively in the Tanjore style, as passed down from the great Panchapakesha Nattuvanaar, Guru Kuppiah Pillai's own great-grandfather and the author of the Abhinaya Navaneetham, a treatise on Bharata Natyam in the language Tamil.

In her teenage years, Sudha received the Government of India Scholarship for Advanced Training in Bharata Natyam, on the insistence of the late, great pioneers of Bharata Natyam Srimati Rukmini Arundale (founder of Kalakshetra) and E. Krishna Iyer. In the 1960s, Sudha and her dear Guru Kuppiah Pillai researched and revived the rare and ancient Navasandhi Kavuthvams, for which they were bestowed with great praise. A lovely interview about Sudha's lifelong relationship with the dance art can be viewed here: Dance is her Pathway to Heaven article