Artistic Director

Mrs. Kirupanithy Ratneswaran has learnt Bharathanatyam from a very young age in Sri Lanka. In 1983, Kirupanithy had moved to India to pursue post professional training in dance and nattuvangam at the Bharatha Choodamani Academy of fine arts under the eminent Guru Adyar K. Lakshman. 

 

In 1985, Kirupanithy moved to Germany where she toured as a professional dance artist. As the first Bharatantyam artist in Germany, she began her own school of professional bharatanatyam training. As more students graduated from her school, they began dancing professionally alongside Kirupanithy. In 1993, Kirupanithy published her first book, “Bharatha Muthirai” which is a book of dance theory from grade one to seven. 

 

In 1993, Kirupanithy moved to Canada and opened the Canadian branch of her school “Laya Bhava Dance Academy.” In 1997, she published her second book “Bharatha Natyam” which is a book consisting of all the adavus with pictures drawn by herself. This book teaches the technique of adavu (detailed analysis of steps). In 1999, Kirupanithy was choreographing many productions (dance dramas) and has had her group tour in Europe and USA. She has also conducted many workshops and has had the privilege of inviting her Guru Adyar K. Lakshman to conduct workshops at her school. He has conducted workshops in Germany, and in Canada in the summers of 1995, 2005, 2006 and 2009. 

 

She had received the Dance Professional Grant from the Canada Council for the Arts in 2012. Under her artistic direction, Laya Bhava Dance academy also received the Ontario Arts Council dance training grant in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2018 for the summer professional training program. Her graduates have performed in prestigious Venus in Chennai notably, Kalakshetra Foundation 2015 & 2019. She is a continuous learner of dance and has learnt from abhinaya from Bragha Bessell, Indira Kadampi and also learnt at Kuchipudi Art academy. Kirupanithy has also worked in partnership with YRDSB’s schools to conduct dance workshops and community productions.

 

Kirupanithy has many students who have completed their arangetrams and are now teaching and dancing professionally. She co-founded Sahana Dance Company in 2011 to provide Tamil bharatanatyam artists with a vision of having a career in dance. She is involved in new choreographic works for the Canadian Tamil diaspora, community-engaged arts and teaching.