Mohanapriyan Thavarajah

🪔 About

Mohanapriyan Thavarajah is a distinguished Bharatanatyam artist, choreographer, scholar, and author, recognized as one of the world's leading young male exponents of the classical Indian dance form. Born on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka in Batticaloa, he began his artistic journey rooted in religious and cultural practices, including learning Bharatanatyam and Carnatic Vocal. His formal training in Bharatanatyam was under Guru Ogeswari Shanmuganathan, an alumna of Kalakshetra Foundation, at the Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts in Trichy, India, which he joined in 2005. He also received training in Kuchipudi under Guru Kishore Mosalikanti. Mohanapriyan achieved first-class gold medals for his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Bharatanatyam from Bharathidasan University, India. He further pursued an MPhil in Bharatanatyam at Tanjavur Tamil University, completing his thesis titled “Angkor Wat through the lens of a dancer” in 2016. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in Bharatanatyam at Tanjore Tamil University, researching the influence of Indian classical dance on Southeast Asian dance forms. Since 2012, Mohanapriyan Thavarajah has been a pivotal figure at Apsaras Arts Dance Company and Academy in Singapore, where he serves as the Principal Dancer, Resident Choreographer, and, as of February 2024, the Associate Creative Director. His innovative choreographic contributions to Apsaras Arts include over 10 repertory works, such as "Angkor-An Untold Story" (2013), "Alapadma" (2016), "Anjaneyam" (2017), and "Agathi" (2017), which have toured internationally. As a soloist, he has performed at prestigious venues and festivals across India, Sri Lanka, Australia, France, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, Germany, and Malaysia. A notable performance was at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, UK, during the Tamil Heritage Month celebrations in January 2026. He also conducts Bharatanatyam masterclasses and workshops globally and is a faculty member at the Indian Performing Arts Convention (IPAC) in Singapore and Australia. Mohanapriyan is the author of "Temple Dance Of Apsaras: A Dancer's View Of Angkor Wat" (2021) and "PRAYOGAM – Applying the techniques of Bharatanatyam." He has been honored with the “Bharata Kala Mani” award by Apsaras Arts Academy. He also curates the DARSHANA – Intimate Dance Series and has his own costume design label, MOHA by Priyan. Awards & Honours: Bharata Kala Mani.