N. Sailaja - Indian classical dancer, choreographer, teacher (Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2021))

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Tuesday 01, July 2025, 19:30.

About:


N. Sailaja: Born 22 December 1966 (age 58), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Occupation(s) Indian classical dancer, choreographer, teacher

Known for Contributions to Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi

Awards Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2021), Kalaimamani (1999), Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Lifetime Achievement Award (2009), Natya Sudhakara (2017)


Introduction:

N. Sailaja (born 22 December 1966) is an Indian classical dancer, choreographer, and teacher known for her work in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. Based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, she trained under K. J. Sarasa and Vempati Chinna Satyam. Sailaja is recognized for her choreography that integrates traditional techniques with contemporary elements and for her efforts in teaching and promoting Indian classical dance.

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Early life and training:

N. Sailaja was born on 22 December 1966 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. She began learning Bharatanatyam under K. J. Sarasa and later studied Kuchipudi under Vempati Chinna Satyam. Her training under these gurus provided her with a strong foundation in both dance forms.

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Career:


Sailaja is a dancer, choreographer, and educator. Her performances in Kuchipudi emphasize traditional techniques while incorporating her own choreography. She founded the Saila Sudha Dance Academy in Chennai in 1988 to teach and promote Indian classical dance. The academy has trained many students and hosts events to encourage appreciation of classical arts, including Sangama, an annual gathering of artists from various disciplines. Sailaja has performed in India and abroad, contributing to the global understanding of Indian classical dance. Her performances are noted for their technical precision and expressiveness. She has also spoken out against practices like "pay-and-perform," which she views as detrimental to the art form. She has developed educational resources for classical dance students, aiding in the preservation of these traditions.

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Awards and recognition:

Sailaja has received several awards for her contributions to Indian classical dance. These include the Kalaimamani award from the Tamil Nadu State Government in 1999, the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009, and the Natya Sudhakara award from the Government of Tamil Nadu in 2017. In 2021, she was honored with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Kuchipudi.

VIDEO: President Droupadi Murmu presents Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Fellowship and Awards - 2019, 2020 & 2021

VIDEO: Receiving the Sangeet Natak Akademi National award(2021) from the Hon'ble President of India .

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Personal life:

Sailaja is committed to preserving Indian classical dance traditions through her teaching and performances. She supports combining innovation with tradition and has participated in charitable initiatives related to dance.

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Legacy:

Sailaja’s work as a performer, teacher, and advocate has influenced Indian classical dance, particularly through her academy and performances.

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References



Kalaimamani Sailaja

Prof. Kalaimamani Sailaja is an outstanding Bharathanatyam Kalaimamani Sailajaand Kuchipudi artist with three decades of experience both in the national and international stage.

Under the intensive tutelage of world class gurus, Kalaimamani KJ Sarasa and Padma Bhushan Vempatti Chinnasatyam, Sailaja has won several international and national awards and recognition. Apart from training students in her Academy, Sailaja is also an adjunct professor at the faculty of Dance in Annamalai University.

Bharathanatyam

Sailaja is an artist blessed to be trained under reputed doyens of Indian Classical Dance. Her passion for dance initiated her into the Vazhuvoor style of Bharathanatyam at a very early age of five under the renowned Guru, (Late) Smt. K. J. Sarasa for 18years. After her formal training she evolved as an artist of excellence. A devoted and disciplined dancer she enriches her Bharathanatyam repertoire with new concepts, identities, and values retaining the nuances of tradition, establishing herself as a successful performer and a thinking choreographer over the last three decades. Known for her immaculate footwork, gazelle-like grace and exquisite abhinaya, she has created an identity for herself synonymous to the style itself. Her passion for this style of dance is reflected in her performances and in training students with precision, both from India and abroad.

Sailaja is always known for her strict adherence to the traditional repertoire winning the appreciation of the critics. On the other hand, her group productions as well as solo Choreographic works always showcase her with a stamp of a skilled master, who understands her audience and connects to them instantly. The secret to this success is her conscious effort in maintaining the balance of being rooted in tradition, yet never leaving any stone unturned in enriching her dance with intelligent innovations, expanding into new horizons and exploring new boundaries. In recognition she has received the Tamilnadu Highest State Award “Kalaimamani”, also is an accredited senior empanelled artist of ICCR and an A-Graderanking artiste of Doordarshan.

Kuchipudi

After her unstinted training in Bharathanatyam Sailaja's appreciation for dance in its many forms brought her to train under the legendary Padmabushan Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam to expand her expression of art. Imbibing the Vempati style of Kuchipudi she has carved a niche for herself as an accredited solo performer and top ranking artist. Her choreography involves intricate, graceful movements set along with captivating abhinaya. Online art courses

Sailaja mastered the skills, inherited the tradition, imbibed the qualities, enriched the repertoire and expanded into new horizons of themes for her dance dramas and solos. She chiseled them with her inimitable choreography skills, always keeping the two styles pure, precise and exclusive. What marks Sailaja is her total involvement, complete commitment and consummate dedication. Sailaja's repertoire in Kuchipudi is an evolving canvas with signature solo presentations such as Mahishasura Mardini, Sankara Srigiri, Viksheham and others. She also has to her credit the ballet presentation of Tagore's Chandalika in Sanskrit and thematic presentations like Pibare Rama Rasam, Madhura Bhakti, Satyam Sivam Sundaram and many more.

Contact Details: Kalaimamani Sailaja

Saila-Sudha Academy for Excellence in Bharathanatyam and Kuchipudi

New No.33 (Old No.21), Chamiers Road, Nandanam

Chennai - 35, India

Telephone: 044-42110994 / 9962052882

E-mail: info@sailajanritya.com

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