NIVEDHA THIRU
Nivedha was introduced to Bharata Natyam as a child in Papua New Guinea. Moving to Sydney in 1991, she came under the tutelage of Anandavalli who soon discovered that the young Nivedha, had the capacity to take on complicated choreography and skilfully make it her own, a skill that her guru has nurtured and challenged in shaping her individuality as a dancer and performer. As a result Nivedha’s dance roles within the Academy performances were notable for their character traits not dissimilar from her own; the cheeky little Krishna, the sly fox, the story teller/dancer, to name a few. Since 2003, Nivedha has expanded her repertoire performing with the Company and counts among her most formative experiences, sharing the stage in The Blue Divine in 2011 with renowned Indian musicians Anil Srinivasan (on piano) and Sikkil Gurucharan (carnatic vocalist). Nivedha is one of the main dancers of the Lingalayam/TaikOz collaboration Chi Udaka, having been involved in the work since its initial creative development period. During the choreographic process of Chi Udaka, Nivedha has been in her elements with her structural and tutorial inputs to the evolving choreographic vocabulary of the work. In Chi Udaka’s premiere season at the 2014 Sydney Festival; Nivedha was privileged to perform a duet with fellow dancer Ritika to the haunting shakuhachi of Riley Lee. A 2015 highlight, performing an excerpt of Chi Udaka together with Taikoz, for the opening of the Sydney TEDx at the Opera House. Nivedha cites that it’s a testament to her guru, her fellow dancers and the opportunities provided by Lingalayam that even after 25 years of dancing, her love for this art form only continues to grow.