Anita Ratnam, classical dancer and contemporary choreographer par excellence, had her early years of training in Bharatanatyam with Guru Rajee, under whose guidance she performed her Arangetram. This was at the age of 9 years, on the occasion of her uncle's wedding reception at Chennai.
Widely travelled, Anita has performed in all the major cities of the world. Equipped with a Masters from the US in Theatre and TV, Anita returned to Chennai from New York, after a ten-year tenure as a successful TV producer and commentator, with works that included the highly acclaimed Festival of India’s TV series.
She is the Founder-Director of Arangham, which is a performing arts organisation, established by her in 1992, to promote artistic and professional excellence. Her productions reflect a unique ability to combine the classical and contemporary, presenting Indian traditions in new avatars for modern audiences. She is an accomplished classical dancer, principal choreographer and artistic director of the Arangham Dance Group, dedicated to explore, enrich and promote the performing and visual arts of India. Consistent with its vision of promoting ‘creativity without borders’, Arangham collaborates with artistes from Pangea World Theatre, USA, Sampradaya, Canada and dance Alloy, USA among others.
The Arangham Trust, in keeping with its vision to promote excellence in the performing arts, has presented Nritya Geeta Mala CDs and Cassettes, creations of Guru Rajee.
Some of her achievements are listed below :
- Co-founder, artistic director of ‘The Other Festival’, Chennai, India’s only avant garde arts event.
- 'Past Forward', a three-day dance festival, co-produced by Arangham and Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai to promote contemporary Indian dance.
- The revival of a 10th century ritual, Araiyar Sevai by Anita has given a new lease of life to an ancient tradition.
- Creator, host and producer of Indigo - the Colours of India, a weekly series on art, travel and culture, viewed in the US on the Travel Channel and TV asia, between 1987 and 1996.
- Producer and host of the Festival of India - USA, a 26 part series on Indian art and cultural exhibitions held in America.
- Host of TV series, 'Emerging Powers', a look at the liberalisation of the Indian economy.
- Producer-director of Bharatanatyam - Sacred Dance of South India.
Today, Anita is cultural commentator, writer and speaker on the performing arts, as she sees her responsibilities extend beyond the stage.
She is also the Founder and Consulting Editor of narthaki.com.
