Tara Rajkumar

Tara Rajkumar has made distinguished contributions to dance in Australia , United Kingdom and India for over three decades. She has taken the classical dance forms of Kathakali and Mohinattam to many parts of the world. In this effort she has been blessed by her great teachers, the late Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair and the late Kalyanikutti Amma, who are legendary in the rich history of Classical Indian dance.

Tara 's contributions to the dance arts, choreography and dance education have received much acclaim and recognition. In Australia, her original work includes major new repertoires in Mohiniattam and contemporary works in the South Asian idiom. Her Natya Sudha Company productions have been toured widely in Australia and overseas. Under Tara 's direction the Natya Sudha School has developed a reputation for maintaining high standards and the purity of the Mohinattam and Kathakali styles.

Tara was the Founder-Director of the respected Academy of Indian Dance, now the Akadémi, in London. Her work outside India has been successful in creating a cultural bridge and forging a deeper understanding between the different communities. She has developed courses and workshops for a wide spectrum of interests. Much of this work has been done through her Fellowships in the Music Department and more recently the Monash Asia Institute at Monash University. Tara 's work is featured in the Immigration Museum . She has received several honours and awards for her work including her inclusion in the Victorian Honour Roll for Women Shaping the Nation on the occasion of the Centenary of Federation.

Natya Sudha Dance Company

The Company was formed from the Natya Sudha School which was founded in 1986. Tara and Natya Sudha have presented original Mohiniattam repertoires to Melbourne audiences in numerous, critically acclaimed productions. Natya Sudha have progressed further to evolve a new, contemporary performance process. The result is a unique fusion of the intricacies of the Indian classical arts with the innovativeness and energy of contemporary dance movement.