Though the modern world has now fully embraced yoga, meditation and even Bollywood dancing, far fewer know of Bharatanatyam. Through the untiring efforts of dancer and choreographer Shanti Sreedhar, those at Manila witnessed a spectacular dance recital – Vaibhavam - celebrating divinity, at the RCBC Theatre in Makati, Metro Manila. “All good dances are an expression of the soul and human emotion, thoughts and experience. And Vaibhavam demonstrated the divine connection with our creator and celebrate his generosity, valour and unconditional love. The goal is not just performance, but to portray a closer connection to the gods through dance. We hope to create a tranquil experience for our audience” said Shanti. The Indian classical dance concert performed by the Students of Sreedhar showcased the talent of over 35 students from the age of four to 40, comprising both expats and Filipino artists.
The dance programme was graced by Lalduhthlana Ralte, Indian Ambassador for the Philippines; Umesh Kumar’, executive director, India ADB; Raveendran Nair, counsellor, Embassy of Malaysia; Venkatachalam, vice president, Private Sector ADB; Seethapathy Chander, special senior advisor ADB; Bernie Gan, World Champion in Bench-rest Riffle shooting; Anupam Ahuja, vice president, Marketing AG&P; Ramon Acoymo, associate Professor Voice and Music Theater/ Dance Department and Marcial Morales, president - AG&P.
Shanti Sreedhar,started training in Bharatanatyam when she was four years old. Besides her numerous awards, Shanti has been selected as the Category ‘A’ dancer by the Doordarshan Kendra.Shanti is also trained in Kuchipudi, and is a specialist in nattuvangam.
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Since 1996,Shanti has been teaching and choreographing Indian classical and folk dance in the Philippines. She has been associated with the UP College of Music, working with dance and ethnomusicology majors.Natya Mandala, the first official institute for Indian classical dance in the Philippines, was the brainchild ofShanti Sreedhar, who has been training Indians, Filipinos and other nationalities in Indian classical dance for over 17 years.