Top Singapore award for Lankan
Sri Lankan-born Aravinth Kumarasamy, Artistic Director of Apsaras Art was conferred Singapore’s prestigious Cultural Medallion for 2022 at a ceremony held in December at the Istana, the official residence of the President of Singapore.
The Cultural Medallion – the prime accolade for arts practitioners in Singapore recognises those whose artistic excellence, contribution and commitment to the arts has enriched Singapore’s arts and cultural landscape.
“I have been blessed to work with many young creative minds at Apsaras Arts, and this recognition will inspire our team to strive towards our vision for excellence. I am indebted to my teachers in Sri Lanka for introducing me into this beautiful world of arts,” says Aravinth.
Born in Colombo in 1966, Aravinth had his initial training in classical dance and music in Sri Lanka. As a student of D.S. Senanayake Maha Vidyalaya from Grade 1 to A’Ls, he was a star performer for school programmes, at many national cultural events across the country, appearing also on Rupavahini TV.
In 1987, Aravinth moved to Singapore and while managing a tech start-up – was chosen by Apsaras Arts co-founder Neila Sathyalingam, also a Sri Lankan, to lead the company. To date, he has created and directed more than 35 original productions.Parama Padam was presented by the Apsaras Arts Company at the Lionel Wendt Theatre last April.
The Cultural Medallion citation states:“Over three decades, with a sense of commitment and conviction, Aravinth has envisaged and nurtured Bharatanatyam with imagination and ingenuity. His artistic philosophy drives his pursuit in enabling the dance form, predominantly a solo art form, to transform into a fine and compelling ensemble-centric expression . ......
An artist par excellence, he is conscious of tradition yet also cognizant of rapidly changing global dynamics where innovation and technology have vital roles to play.