Bridging Gaps With Bharatanatyam

Sheela Raghavan Tan is a veteran performer who was voted best dancer in the Bharatanatyam category at a national dance competition in 2002 and was conferred the Natya Vithagar award in India in 2008. With two decades of learning experience, the chartered accountant decided to start up the Mahavidya Dance Theatre to not only teach the traditional dance to underprivileged children but to also rebuild their lives through confidence. Conformed to the notion that arts should be accessible to everyone, she aims to promote arts to all youth, irrespective of their socio-economic backgrounds to help them appreciate traditional performing arts. This week, Sheela shares how she is levelling the playing field and how this classical Indian dance has impacted the lives of troubled youth.