the
about
With over 30 years of experience as a performer, choreographer, and educator, Stella Subbiah has dedicated her career to expanding the possibilities of Bharatanatyam. Trained at Kalakshetra, she performed with the company for 16 years before relocating to the UK in 1993. Two years later, she co-founded Sankalpam, a pioneering platform for performance and training, where she served as co-artistic director and choreographer. Through Sankalpam, she created seven full-length productions and numerous independent works, redefining Bharatanatyam’s role in contemporary artistic expression.
As an Erasmus Scholar, she contributed to dance programs across Europe, including at the Universities of Roehampton, Groningen, and Surrey. As an Associate Lecturer in Contemporary Dance at the University of Surrey, she has designed courses introducing Bharatanatyam’s somatic principles, making its embodied practice accessible to students from diverse movement backgrounds. Teaching Bharatanatyam to British students with no prior exposure to the form, she emphasized an approach that is both embodied and intellectually engaging, fostering a profound understanding of the moving body.
Throughout her career, she has continuously reimagined Bharatanatyam’s classical framework, addressing themes of gender, age, and cultural identity. Rooted in Tamil language and Bharatanatyam’s expressive vocabulary, her work transforms tradition into a living, evolving dialogue. By merging historical depth with present-day perspectives, she fosters creativity that is both authentic and innovative.
Through ongoing research and collaboration with artists and scholars across disciplines, Stella remains at the forefront of Bharatanatyam’s evolution—challenging conventions, expanding its language, and crafting work that speaks to both its heritage and its future.
collaborative
approach
Stella Subbiah pushes the boundaries of Bharatanatyam by blending Eastern and Western influences, reinterpreting the classical vocabulary of the art form for contemporary audiences. She challenges traditional notions of age and gender, using movement, imagination, and interdisciplinary collaboration as central tools in her artistic inquiry.
Stella approaches Bharatanatyam as an interdisciplinary art form. Her work integrates insights from Montessori education, Tamil and English theatre, Tamil literature, yoga, music, and contemporary dance, encouraging students and audiences alike to explore new intersections of movement and meaning.
Her creative approach includes:
Empowering Communities through Dance:
She founded a dance group with Sri Lankan Tamil refugee women in London, using Bharatanatyam as a medium for self-expression and healing. Their debut performance, Uyir, was a sold-out success at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in 2016.
This initiative not only empowered the participating women but also fostered a renewed appreciation for Bharatanatyam within their families.
Challenging Cultural Perceptions:
Following the success of Uyir, the work was featured in the ‘Diaspora and Embodiment of Hope’ conference, commissioned by the University of Surrey and the Arts Council. This recognition further cemented its impact as a significant exploration of identity, migration, and artistic expression.
Exploring Gender & Age in Bharatanatyam:
Stella’s choreographic work frequently engages with themes of gender and age in Bharatanatyam. After the success of Weaving Memories—a tribute to Rukmini Devi Arundale’s legacy in traditional weaving and vegetable dyeing—she was invited by Kalakshetra to create a new work that reexamined traditional gender and age roles in Bharatanatyam.
Through movement and storytelling, this piece questioned long-held norms and offered fresh perspectives on who gets to perform Bharatanatyam and how its narratives can evolve.
Innovative Teaching within the Tamil Community:
Since 2013, Stella has been deeply involved in London’s Tamil community, where she observed a decline in Bharatanatyam students pursuing the art form seriously. To address this, she developed innovative training methods to inspire new generations of artists and ensure Bharatanatyam’s continued growth and relevance.