Apsaras Dance Company

Apsaras Dance Company enjoys the distinction of being the recipient of the National Heritage Board (NHB)’s inaugural Stewards of Singapore’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Award 2020 for Indian Dance Forms, an award for promoting and transmitting intangible cultural heritage in Singapore. The company, as well as its leaders, have been acknowledged as major contributors to the arts scene in Singapore. 

Founded initially as Apsaras Arts in 1977 by S Sathyalingam and his wife Neila Sathyalingam, it rebranded itself as Apsaras Dance Company in 2024. The founding couple were both alumni and past faculty members of Kalakshetra Foundation, India, a renowned cultural institution of fine arts. After their passing, the company has been led by Aravinth Kumarasamy, artistic and managing director, since 2005. It is a registered non-profit company, and, in recognition of its substantive work, receives major annual grants from the National Arts Council.

Apsaras is both a performing company and an academy, with the key aim of building new audiences through programmes showcasing young and budding Singaporean artists. Apsaras Arts’ critically acclaimed repertory productions include ‘Nirmanika – The Beauty of Architecture’, ‘Anjaneyam – Hanuman’s Ramayana’ and ‘Arisi – Rice’, in 2023.

The company’s productions are well-received internationally and have been regularly featured in several festivals across India, Europe and the Asia Pacific. It has also embarked on an industry-wide development initiative, the Indian Performing Arts Convention (IPAC) (previously known as Dance India Asia Pacific (DIAP)), inaugurated in 2011, targeting the local Indian dance community. This convention provides formal training courses and residency programmes for professional dancers. Since 2020, IPAC has continued as a hybrid programme, which includes extensive webinars covering a wide range of scholarly topics with eminent speakers. In 2021, IPAC Australia was launched in collaboration with Monash University. To train and nurture the younger generation, Apsaras conducts outreach programmes in schools and community centres, as well as special dance courses for young children. 

On a broader level, Apsaras has regular engagements with the community through public programmes that include Silver Arts Festival, Got to Move, Arts in the Neighbourhood, etc and public workshops and masterclasses. The company has been collaborating with Esplanade Theatres on the Bay since 2006, creating over 10 original dance productions. Some of the productions have been ground-breaking efforts to present technically innovative productions and hybrid programmes for those unable to attend live performances.  

In 2024, Apsaras published a book entitled Aham, featuring its key productions and also some historical information about the classical art form. In the same year, it launched a portal called Avai, which showcases not only the works of Apsaras but also some of the leading Indian artists.



For more information
Kumarasamy, Aravinth. Aham: From the Creative Mind to the Stage. Singapore: Apsaras Arts Ltd, 2024
Metamorphosis, compiled and edited by Vidhya Nair. Singapore: Apsaras Arts Ltd, 2021
Thavarajah, Mohanapriyan. Apsaras: Temple Dance of Apsaras. Singapore: Apsaras Arts Ltd, 2021
Thavarajah, Mohanapriyan. Prayogam: Applying the Techniques of Bharatanatyam. Singapore: Apsaras Arts Ltd, 2022
“Watch the finest Indian performing arts productions from artists across the globe.” Avai. Accessed on 1 August 2025. https://avai.video
“Home.” Apsaras Dance Company. Accessed on 1 August 2025. https://www.apsarasarts.com

தமிழில் வாசிக்க 

Return to home page 

About the Encyclopedia

The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.