Dance school for transpersons offers exciting opportunities

Renowned Bharatanatyam teacher and dancer Shanmuga Sundaram is filled with joy as six of his students from the transgender community recently performed at Raj Bhavan. “The six performers are Bharatanatyam students of Sathya Sai Free Transgender Dance Academy in Chennai, and it was their first public performance in the presence of the Governor and other dignitaries,” says Shanmuga Sundaram, who teaches Bharatanatyam on Sundays at the academy. He also shares that the school’s first-anniversary celebration was a moment of pride for all.

Last year, Sunil Menon from the Sahodaran Foundation reached out to Shanmuga Sundaram with a proposal to teach Bharatanatyam to transgender individuals in Chennai. Sundaram was enthusiastic about the idea and agreed to be a part of it. “Initially, there were 20 students, but some dropped out for various reasons. Now, 10 students learn Bharatanatyam every Sunday at the Sathya Sai Free Transgender Dance Academy.”

The Sri Sathya Sai Dance Academy, in collaboration with the Sahodaran Foundation, opened the dance school last year to promote dance among the transgender community. “The dance academy has students from all walks of life, including Tamil Nadu’s first transgender auto driver Vaishnavi, a person from the media, someone working in a bank, and a physiotherapist. Despite being rejected by other dance schools, they have found a place to pursue their childhood dream professionally. We hope to motivate more people,” the dance master adds.

The Sri Sathya Sai Orphanage Trust, which operates the dance academy, opened two other dance schools for the transgender community in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. “The aim is to encourage transgender people to take up various art forms and showcase their talents. The initiative hopes to change society’s perception of transgender people and highlight their exceptional abilities,” says Anandakumar from the Trust.

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The initiative hopes to change society’s perception of transgender people and highlight their exceptional abilities

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-Anandakumar, Sri Sathya Sai Orphanage Trust