‘Her gestures are immaculate and fidelity of expressions is exceptional’
aRTISTIC dIRECTOR
Suganthy Pirapagaran
Master of ARTS IN Bharathanatyam (Tanjavur tamil university – DIRECTORATE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION)
Smt. Suganthy Pirapagaran started her dance journey at the age of 5 years in Sri Lanka under the tutelage of Smt. Daisy Ashok who was diploma holder of Kalakshetra College of Fine Arts, Madras. In 1994 Suganthy continued her training with Smt. Anusha Tharmarajah, also a graduate of Kalakshetra. She has recently completed her Master of Arts in Bharathanatyam at Tanjavur Tamil University via Distance Education Program.
Her gurus describe that; ‘Her gestures are immaculate and fidelity of expressions is exceptional’.
Suganthy’s repertoire also involves completion of the different grades of examination lead by the Sri Lankan government-recognised oldest institute for music and dance in Jaffna- The Northern Ceylon Oriental Music Society.
Her interest in the fine arts was evident as she also pursued vocal training to complement her dance and Veena lessons where she also sat multiple examinations.
In 1996, Suganthy with her family moved to New Zealand at the age of 15. Hereon she continued to take part in various cultural presentations representing this South Indian Fine Artform, receiving national recognition in these events.
With her continued passion, great aptitude and keenness to learn she later joined Smt. Suganthy Thayaseelan at New Zealand Kalabhavanam. Under her guidance, she successfully completed her dance debut ‘Arangetram’ obtaining her Diploma in Bharatanatyam, and was the first graduate of New Zealand Kalabhavanam in the year 2000.
As her guru moved abroad, Suganthy was entrusted the responsibility of primary dance teacher at New Zealand Kalabhavanam where she continued the efforts of Smt. Suganthy Thayaseelan and successfully staged a dance production “Shiva Leela” with various calibre of students, in collaboration with other artistes.
Suganthy has a successful full time career in IT. She has performed on various stages in community programs in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia. Despite her commitments, Suganthy still maintains enthusiasm to advance her skills further and recently travelled to India for further expertise in Nattuvangam under the mentorship of ‘AKSHAYA ADHYAAPIKA’, ‘NATYA KALA RATHNA’ Asst. Prof. Mrs N. Ogeswari, Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts.
With the establishment of Kala Vidhya School of Dance in 2017, she hopes to spread the art of Bharathanatyam among interested audiences in Melbourne and impart in her students the same passion & fidelity she devours for dance.
