Ms Neila Sathyalingam

🪔 About

Neila Sathyalingam (1938-2017) was a pioneering and renowned figure in Indian classical dance, particularly Bharatanatyam, who significantly contributed to the arts scene in Singapore. Born Neila Balendra in Colombo, Sri Lanka, she began her dance journey at the tender age of five, training in Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, and Manipuri at the Shanti Kumar School of Dance and Kalaya School of Dance in Colombo. Her exceptional talent was evident early on, earning her a gold medal at the All Ceylon Dance Festival in 1954, which led to a performance for Queen Elizabeth II. At 18, Neila enrolled in the prestigious Kalakshetra Academy in Chennai, India, where she trained under the legendary Srimathi Rukmini Devi Arundale. She remarkably completed the five-year Bharatanatyam diploma in just two years, graduating with first-class honours in 1957. After a period, she returned to Kalakshetra in 1969 for teacher's training and postgraduate studies, subsequently joining the faculty as a dance teacher in 1972. It was at Kalakshetra that she met and married Suntharalingam Sathyalingam, a Carnatic music teacher. In 1974, Neila and her family relocated to Singapore, where she became a Singapore citizen in 1994. Together with her husband, she co-founded Apsaras Arts in 1977, an institution dedicated to promoting traditional Indian dance forms in multicultural Singapore, serving as its artistic director. From 1983, she also served for over two decades as the dance instructor and choreographer for the Indian Dance Group of the People's Association, teaching Indian classical dance to children from lower-income families. Neila was known for her innovative approach, pioneering new dance forms that blended regional arts with Indian classical dance, inspired by Singapore's diverse cultural environment. Her notable choreographic works include the dance-drama 'Kannagi' (1998) and 'Sivagami' (2007). She also co-founded the multiracial children's dance troupe, Lion City Angels, in 1988. Neila Sathyalingam passed away in 2017, remembered by dancer Padma Subramanyam as "a uniting force in the multi-cultural dance fraternity in Singapore". Awards & Honours: Gold medal at All Ceylon Dance Festival (1954), Cultural Medallion (1989), Viswa Kala Bharathi (1994), Singapore Women's Hall of Fame (2014).