Sanjay Shantaram

🪔 About

Dr. Sanjay Shantaram is a distinguished Indian classical dancer, choreographer, actor, and vocalist, renowned for his expertise in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. He began his journey in classical dance at the tender age of seven, receiving initial training in Bharatanatyam under Guru Smt. G.S. Rajalakshmi and later from Guru Smt. Narmada. He further honed his skills in Kuchipudi under the tutelage of Smt. Sunanda Devi, Smt. Veena Murthy Vijay, and Smt. Manju Bhargavee. With a performing career spanning over 35 years, Dr. Shantaram has presented more than 3000 shows globally. He commenced extensive tours of America and the United Kingdom in 1980, and has also performed and conducted workshops in Muscat, Indonesia, Andaman, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Switzerland. Beyond dance, he is a qualified dentist and has had a notable acting career, appearing in over 60 films as a child artist and more than 20 popular Kannada and Telugu television serials. Dr. Shantaram started teaching dance at the age of 15. He established the Shivapriya School of Dance in Bangalore in 1989, an institution that celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2013. The academy currently nurtures around 250 aspiring artists in Bangalore and Kunigal, with many of his disciples going on to establish their own dance schools. He is recognized as a guru and artistic director, dedicating his life to the arts. Awards & Honours: National award for best child actor (Ayappa) (1989), Gold medal in All India Dance Competition (1992), THE RAMGOPAL AWARD for best male dancer (2012), Kempegowda Award (2019), LAASYA PURUSHA AWARD (2025), SHRISHTI THANDAVAPRIYA NATIONAL AWARD for male dancers (2026), SAMAJA SEVA BHUSHANA, ROTARY VOCATIONAL AWARD, Navarasa Balaka, Kannada Kala Kanda, Kala Arathi Ratna, Natya Mayura, Aasthana Vidwan, Ananya Puraskara.