Meet Guru Chitra Shankar
Chitra Shankar, the Founder Artistic Director of Chitrakala Arts Singapore, is a leading dancer, choreographer and teacher for Odissi and Bharatanatyam, two of the most ancient forms of Indian classical dance. She has a student base spanning AsiaPac and America. An empaneled artiste of ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations), Chitra is recognized as the Ambassador for Odissi in Singapore by Odissi International, Bhubaneshwar, India.
Chitrakala Arts conducts regular training for over 120 active students, and supplements it with annual masterclasses and workshops to help the students with technique and evolution of the dance forms. Besides numerous group performances across Singapore for important events and festivals, Chitra has oversighted 25 solo graduation shows(Arangetram), 12annual mega performances (Nritya Sangamam) and actively participated as mentor and judge in numerous shows within South East Asia.
Meet Guru Chitra Shankar
Chitra Shankar, the Founder Artistic Director of Chitrakala Arts Singapore, is a leading dancer, choreographer and teacher for Odissi and Bharatanatyam, two of the most ancient forms of Indian classical dance. She has a student base spanning AsiaPac and America. An empaneled artiste of ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations), Chitra is recognized as the Ambassador for Odissi in Singapore by Odissi International, Bhubaneshwar, India.
Chitrakala Arts conducts regular training for over 120 active students, and supplements it with annual masterclasses and workshops to help the students with technique and evolution of the dance forms. Besides numerous group performances across Singapore for important events and festivals, Chitra has oversighted 25 solo graduation shows(Arangetram), 12annual mega performances (Nritya Sangamam) and actively participated as mentor and judge in numerous shows within South East Asia.
Meet Guru Chitra Shankar
Chitra Shankar, the Founder Artistic Director of Chitrakala Arts Singapore, is a leading dancer, choreographer and teacher for Odissi and Bharatanatyam, two of the most ancient forms of Indian classical dance. She has a student base spanning AsiaPac and America. An empaneled artiste of ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations), Chitra is recognized as the Ambassador for Odissi in Singapore by Odissi International, Bhubaneshwar, India.
Chitrakala Arts conducts regular training for over 120 active students, and supplements it with annual masterclasses and workshops to help the students with technique and evolution of the dance forms. Besides numerous group performances across Singapore for important events and festivals, Chitra has oversighted 25 solo graduation shows(Arangetram), 12annual mega performances (Nritya Sangamam) and actively participated as mentor and judge in numerous shows within South East Asia.
Dancing Through Tradition: The Journey of Chitra
Chitra Shankar, the founder of Chitrakala Arts, staunchly believes that Art must evolve to mirror current society, remain pertinent, and engage while fostering social progress, harmony, and development.
Since its inception in 1998 to promote two ancient Indian classical dance forms, Bharatnatyam and Odissi, Chitrakala Arts has aimed to create a platform for students and the audience to participate in the rich heritage of arts, history and culture in Asia through teaching, performances, seminars, TED talks, and learning journey sessions. The school has collaborated with other Arts entities such as the Singapore Indian Orchestra and Choir, the India Heritage Center, the Laoitian Dance Company, and the Bali Dance troupe to devise productions including music, other dance forms, and painting.
Over the last 25 years, Chitra’s students have performed at community centres, residents committee events, temples, community festivals, National Day celebrations, at Indian High Commission events, and at the Esplanade. Chitrakala Arts’ dance Arangetrams/Manch Praveshes (25 so far) also raise awareness and funds for various social causes. The school has raised funds for Project SMILE, H.O.M.E, Singapore Cancer Society, and the Singapore Heart Foundation.
An Abode of Performing Arts
Founded in 1998, Chitrakala Arts has blossomed into a renowned institution for Bharatanatyam and Odissi training in Singapore. Led by Guru Chitra Shankar, Chitrakala Arts fosters a vibrant community of dancers from diverse backgrounds, united by their passion for Indian classical dance.
Guided by our vision to be the region’s most sought after dance school, we at Chitrakala Arts offer comprehensive training programs in both Bharatanatyam and Odissi which goes beyond just dance training. We focus in providing holistic training that bring about elements of discipline, meditation, concentration, flexibility and stamina, encouraging the students to treat their dance journey as a way of life.
Chitrakala Arts conducts exclusive master classes and workshops for our students by renowned artists to enrich their learning experience. Our annual showcase, “NrityaSangamam-Perform with Purpose” provides a platform for students to showcase their talent and support a cause as a way to give back to society and make their dance journey more meaningful.
Chitra: Crafting Movement, Shaping Culture
An academic background in Textile design, a good understanding and appreciation of music coupled with strong and intensive training in the two styles by renowned Gurus, has enabled Chitra to create and present many 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 forms must evolve to represent society in its current manifestations to draw new audiences-staying relevant and contemporary- while contributing to social growth, peace and development.“
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 forms must evolve to represent society in its current manifestations to draw new audiences-staying relevant and contemporary- while contributing to social growth, peace and development.“
As a Teacher and Choreographer, Chitra believes that it is only a parent-student-teacher 3-way partnership that can help while learning a highly skilled art form like dance. She believes that this model can be replicated anywhere in the world- with a little love, lot of commitment and passion.
Besides being a dancer and a textile designer, Chitra is a also a TEDx speaker, a painter and an accomplished interior decorator. She has also written many articles around Dance and culture for local publications in Singapore, as well as the region. She is the first dancer from Singapore to be featured on TEDx- sharing her views on dance as a supplement to education in the modern world. Beyond all this, Chitra is a visiting faculty at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA)-a premium Arts school in Singapore, conducts multiple art appreciation workshops in schools, colleges and community centers and is a sought after judge on many traditional and contemporary dance competitions.