10 May 2021
The Classical Indian Dance Faculty were delighted to host our first online competition - the Bursary Selection Event with the winning nominees going forward to represent the Classical Indian Dance Faculty in our Theatre Bursary Awards (date TBC).
The online competition was open to all our global members and we received a record of 70 participants which was thrilling to see.
Our teachers and students from around the world have truly missed learning and performing in studios and theatres and we all know it has been exceptionally challenging to fill this void. However, our teachers have embraced online participation and it is safe to say that the response has been beyond positive.
Dancing during this challenging period, has been a way to improve and maintain positivity both in our physical and mental health with our Classical Indian Dance teachers and candidates proving that through this event the passion, creativity, expression, and pure enjoyment never waived.
Liz Dale (Director of Dance) and Chitra Sundaram (MBE, Trustee, and 2017 BBC Young Dancer Judge) were our adjudicators and their time, knowledge and contribution to this event has been beyond worthwhile. Both reported an exceptionally high standard from all our participants and extend their congratulations to all those who participated and who were finalists, runners up and winners in our junior and senior categories.
We hope you enjoyed the event as much as we did and are very grateful to receive the following feedback:
“It has been a great opportunity for Kalakunj students to prepare for the ISTD Bursary Awards 2021 in such a challenging time and we are grateful that the young learners could showcase their skills on a prestigious and encouraging platform”.
- Ananya Chatterjee (Teacher)
“I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. A great platform from ISTD to evolve my dance skills and more opportunities like this will be fantastic”.
- Eva Maria Kuriakose (Junior Runner Up)
“I am incredibly proud of my students for their hard work and achievement. Thank you to the ISTD for providing this amazing opportunity for all the young dancers during this difficult time”.
- Dr Roopashree NS (Teacher)
“I enjoyed dancing for a different type of song and having freedom of choreography. It was a good opportunity to be creative”.
Pranathi Jyothi (Dancer)
Please see below the full list of results
Junior Section
WINNER: Diya Ponsudhahar
TEACHER: Shalini Shivashankar
SCHOOL: Upahaar School of Dance
RUNNER UP: Eva Maria Kuriakose
TEACHER: Dr Roopashree NS
SCHOOL: Pragnya Indian Arts Centre
FINALIST: Shivani Kishor
TEACHER: Ananya Chatterjee
SCHOOL: Kalakunj
FINALIST: Niya Sajesh
TEACHER: Shruti Siriam
SCHOOL: Sanskriti UK
FINALIST: Tharenya Sriharan
TEACHER: Thiriveni Sangarakumar
SCHOOL: Natyakshetra
FINALIST: Suhani Bellur
TEACHER: Ananya Chatterjee
SCHOOL: Kalakunj
Senior Section
WINNER: Sharmila Biswas
TEACHER: Chitraleka Bolar
SCHOOL: Chitraleka Dance Academy
RUNNER UP: Yukta Chegu
TEACHER: Sujata Banerjee
SCHOOL: Sujata Banerjee Dance Company
FINALIST: Adhya Shastry
TEACHER: Ananya Chatterjee
SCHOOL: Kalakunj
FINALIST: Linnéa Prema Husmann
TEACHER: Krishna Zivraj-Nair
SCHOOL: Sanskruti Cambridge
FINALIST: Sanjali Ranatunga
TEACHER: Sujata Banerjee
SCHOOL: Sujata Banerjee Dance Company
FINALIST: Soumya Saladi
TEACHER: Usha Rao
SCHOOL: Sai Mayur Bharanatyam Dance School
Watch our results video:
