Somi Lindsay

🪔 About

Somi Lindsay is an Indian classical Bharatanatyam dancer, teacher, and the founder of Apsaras Arts Adelaide in South Australia, Australia. Raised in Singapore, she began her Bharatanatyam training at the age of five under the tutelage of the esteemed late Smt Neila Sathyalingam, founder of Apsaras Arts Singapore. Smt Neila Sathyalingam was a pioneer of Indian classical dance in Singapore and a direct disciple of Rukmini Devi Arundale, the visionary founder of Kalakshetra. Somi trained and performed extensively throughout her childhood, representing Singapore as a "Singapore Little Angel" in the nineties with a multicultural performing arts troupe. By the age of 15, she had staged her Arangetram, her solo dance debut. Her performing journey with Apsaras Arts included appearances at festivals such as the Singapore Arts Festival, Chingay Parade, Singapore Youth Festival, Esplanade's Kalautsavam, and WOMAD. After settling in Australia, Somi founded Apsaras Arts Adelaide in September 2013, under the blessings of her guru Smt Neila Sathyalingam. The academy specializes in Bharatanatyam, particularly in the Kalakshetra format. Apsaras Arts Adelaide is one of five branches operating under the global Apsaras Arts franchise, and Somi is noted as the youngest of its four directors. She discovered a passion for teaching Bharatanatyam and has since curated a syllabus tailored for children, alongside a growing population of adult learners. Somi continues her professional development, having been a mentee of teaching artist Ms Durga Devi Manimaran since 2016, focusing on pedagogy in Bharatanatyam. In 2019, Apsaras Arts Adelaide premiered its first annual school concert. Somi Lindsay was a recipient of the Neila Sathyalingam Memorial Endowment Award in 2024. Awards & Honours: Neila Sathyalingam Memorial Endowment Award (2024).