Anita Ratnam

Anita Ratnam is an Indian dancer and choreographer. She was born on 21st May 1954 in Madurai, Madras State, India. She received her initial training under Bharatnatyam Guru Adyar K Lakshman, and later on, she went to attend Rukmini Devi Arundale’s ‘Kalakshetra’ for advanced training and received a postgraduate diploma in Dance. She is trained in Bharatnatyam, Kathakali, and Mohiniyattam, the classical dance forms of Kerala, along with Tai Chi and Kalaripayattu, thus creating a dance style which she has coined ‘Neo Bharatham’. She has also studied MA in Theatre and Television, from the University of New Orleans, and later on she went to become a Televison Producer and Commentator in the United States.

In 1992, she set up The Anugraham Trust, which is based in Chennai, followed by Anugraham Dance Theatre, a performance company in 1993. In the April of 2000, she created an Indian dance portal called Narthaki.com, which started as a phone book with over 2000 addresses. It was India’s first and largest dance portal, and it is a forum for performing artists and people who are passionate about art. The portal publishes Reviews, Previews, Interviews, Profiles, articles and Research Articles, Special Columns by noted scholars, Health Column, dance moves used by researchers, dance institutions, and many other, including a much-awaited monthly newsletter. Anita Ratnam considers herself a contemporary classicist and a modernist who is very passionate about creating from her immediate environment, from where she draws inspiration. She has performed her solo Operatic performance, seven Graces, at Joyce Soho, New York Click to look into! >> Read More... , in collaboration with Hari Krishnan Hari Krishnan, popularly called as Hari is an Indi >> Read More... , a Canada-based Dancer-choreographer.

She has also appeared in some Tamil Films such as Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) and Boys (2003). She has choreographed various performances such as A Map To The Next World (1997) with the Native American poet Joy Harjo, Inner World (1998) with the Pangea World Theatre in Minneapolis, Daughters Of The Ocean (1999) with writer Shobita Punja, Dust (2002) with Mark Taylor Mark Taylor is a former Australian cricket player. >> Read More... of Dance Alloy, Pittsburgh, USA. She has also received various awards and recognition for her work both in India and Abroad, such as Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards in 2016 for contemporary dance, Nritya Choodamani in 1996 by Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai, Kalaimamani in 1998 for her work in dance research by the Government of Tamil Nadu, Media Achievement Award by the National Organization of Women in New York in 1991, Natya Ratna (2003) by Sri Shanmukhananda Sangeeta Sabha, New Delhi, and Vishwa Kala Ratna by the National Indian Arts Awards (Milapfest) in United Kingdom.