A dancer with a natural flair for the arts, Christina Shamala Prakanthan (Pakianathan), finds herself best while expressing through the classical idiom of Bharathanatyam. Beginning her training from the tender age of 2 ½ from her Guru, Smt. Husseini Hariram, a pupil of the Legend Padma Subramaniam, Christina continued her training from Smt. Anusha Tharmarajah, a postgraduate diploma holder from Kalakshetra. Thereafter, she was carefully chiseled and nurtured by Smt. Suryakala Jeevananthan, a Post Graduate Diploma Holder in Bharathanatyam from Bharathiya Kala Kendra, New-Delhi who is also the Founder of Shri Ram Shristi School of Dance in Colombo. In 2002, at the age of 15 she successfully did her Arangetram under Smt. Suryakala Jeevananthan.
What has impressed her teachers, is her genuine interest to learn and propagate the dance form and make sure that it is passed on to the next generation keeping in line with the tradition and at par with contemporary thoughts.
Born in a blended city as Colombo in Sri Lanka, her exposure in the arts has been splendid. This has opened doors to learning in various ways. Her parents, Capt. Hugh Vijayanathan and Mrs Jannet Pakianathan has been a lover of arts and a supporter of Christina’s endeavours.
- Over the years she has honed her skills in allied arts.
- She has been a part of ‘Attakalari Centre for Movement Arts’, Bangalore and was trained by Ms.Hemabharathy Palani, a Bharathanatyam ,Kuchipudi and Contemporary dance performer.
- Christina, a performer in her own right, now runs a school, Natyatharu School of Dance with students from across Western Melbourne who take great pride in learning the nuances of Bharatanatyam from her.
Christina imparts knowledge in Nattuvangam and Abhinaya under the Danseuse Smt. Indira Kadambi (Chennai)
