Chitra Shankar

🪔 About

Chitra Shankar is a leading Indian classical dancer, choreographer, and teacher, highly regarded for her mastery in both Bharatanatyam and Odissi. Her dance journey commenced at a young age, where she received her initial Bharatanatyam training under the tutelage of Kalaimamani Smt. Saroja Vaidyanathan, adopting the Pandanallur style. She further honed her Bharatanatyam skills under Vishwakala Bharathi Smt. Neila Sathyalingam in Singapore. For Odissi, she trained under Guru Sri Hare Krishna Behera and subsequently received advanced guidance from Padmashri Ms. Madhavi Mudgal, adhering to the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra style. Shankar has been performing on stage since 1978. In 1995, Chitra Shankar founded Chitrakala, an organization dedicated to promoting Indian art forms, which maintains operations in both India and Singapore. Since 1998, she has been actively performing, choreographing, and teaching across the South and Southeast Asia regions, establishing Chitrakala Arts Singapore. As the Founder Artistic Director of Chitrakala Arts Singapore, she oversees a vibrant student community exceeding 120 individuals from the Asia-Pacific and the United States, with students originating from countries such as Japan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, India, the UK, and the USA. Beyond her role as a guru, Chitra Shankar is an empaneled artist of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and has been recognized as the Ambassador for Odissi in Singapore by Odissi International. She also serves as a visiting faculty member at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) and is a sought-after judge for various dance competitions. Her diverse artistic pursuits include being a textile designer, painter, and writer for regional publications. She is notably the first dancer from Singapore to be featured on TEDx, where she discussed how dance can enrich modern education. Through Chitrakala Arts, she has orchestrated numerous performances, including solo graduation shows and annual mega performances, with student Arangetrams contributing to social causes. Awards & Honours: Senior Choreographer for the World Dance Alliance event (Building Bridges Asia Pacific program) (2007), Ambassador of Odissi in Singapore (2014).