WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
About us
Creating dance that can be performed anywhere, for anyone.
Our professional dance company, Sanskruti Dance, began in 2017 following a number of one-off events, including the Cambridge Big Weekend Festivals and a Bharatanatyam Flashmob performance for Mill Road Midsummer Festival. Sanskruti Dance was officially registered as a Community Interest Company in October 2021.
We received our first seed funding as Uttkarsh runner’s up from Akademi, which was then used to secure Arts Council Funding to develop our first choreographic work, Apple ‘N’ Spice.
The word Sanskruti means ‘culture’ in Sanskrit. Our mission is to inspire, educate and engage people in South Asian art forms, culture and heritage.
Find out more
FAQ's
Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form from South Asia, the oldest classical dance tradition in India.
Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form from South Asia, the oldest classical dance tradition in India. The dance style originated in the temples of Southern India in the state of Tamil Nadu but is now widely performed in a variety of venues including outdoors.
Bharatanatyam style is noted for its fixed upper torso, bent legs and knees flexed (Araimandi) combined with footwork, and a vocabulary of sign language based on gestures of hands, eyes, and face muscles. Storytelling is an integral part of the artform using facial expressions along with hand gestures and body movement.
Our Artistic Director Krishna creates dance theatre for children and families that is rooted in South Asian heritage but is at the same time relevant to British society. Our original productions blend stories from both east and west. Our productions always start with a script and we always work with a dramaturg to ensure that the movement we create is effectively communicated with our audiences.
At Sanskruti, we create original productions which include multiple creative elements including storytelling, music, shadow puppetry and, magic.
Not at all! Our shows are enjoyed by children and adults alike, whatever their cultural knowledge and background.
If you’re in the Cambridge area, we run a dance school – visit www.sanskruti.org.uk to find out more.
To find out about classes in other parts of the UK, visit https://www.akademi.co.uk/akademi-resources/.
Meet us
Our team
Krishna Zivraj-Nair
Sue Lea
Ayesha Nair
Meet us
Our board members
Amit Nair
Krishna Zivraj-Nair
Meera Vinay
Tomorr Kokona
Chris Fogg
SUPPORTING US
Our partners
The development and touring of Sanskruti Dance’s productions have only been possible thanks to the invaluable support of our partners, to whom we are very grateful.
