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Chitra Shankar, now living in Singapore, is among the very few dancers excelling
in more than one traditional Indian classical dance forms- Odissi and Bharatanatyam.
Chitra is an unparalleled representative of ancient but ever new art
dance traditions of India. She has been on stage since 1978. Her role as a performer, choreographer and teacher combine admirably
with her textile designer background further enriching the beauty and the creativity emboldened by art and bound by tradition.
She founded Chitrakala in 1995, as the umbrella organization for the promotion of Indian Art forms including: the performing
arts- dance and music, the contemporary arts through textile design and manufacture with traditional Indian base, and the
traditional arts -painting, sculpture and forms. Today, Chitrakala has operations in India as well as in Singapore.
A
leading exponent of Odissi, the ancient and traditional dance style of Orissa and rooted with a background of intensive training
in Bharatanatyam and Indian music, Chitra has created and presented original choreographic works based on Indian mythology
as well as contemporary issues.
According to Chitra, "Dance embodies art. It embraces the qualities, traditions and
nuances from a wide variety of art forms... melody from music, the rhythm of the heart, the passion of life, the symbolism
from sculpted and sketched postures, the poetry of romance and the prose of everyday living."
"Art must continue to
represent the current milieu of life, it must represent society in its current manifestations to continue to draw audiences
and appreciation while contributing to social growth, peace and development." says Chitra.
On her future plans, Chitra
proposes to develop her school for performing arts in Singapore in the immediate future and continue her exploration into
the wonderful world of dance, music and adapt them to bring in greater peace, satisfaction and quality to life.
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