Sathyanarayana Raju (Sathya) is one of India’s most distinguished Bharatanatyam dancers from his generation. A Bangalore-based dancer, choreographer, teacher and presenter, Sathya is the artistic director of “Samskruthi- the temple of Art”, a cultural organization committed to dance pedagogy and presenting international dance companies in India.   

His primary teacher/mentor is Sangeet Natak Academy awardee the late Guru Narmada of Shakuntala Nrityalaya. His other teachers include Subhadra Prabhu and Bhanumathi. Sathya is also a skilled Kathak dancer where he trained under Dr. Maya Rao and Chitra Venugopal at the Natya Institute of Kathak & Choreography.  

An artist in high demand, Sathya continues to receive both critical and popular acclaim in the U.K., U.S.A, Canada, Switzerland, France and Maldives. He is “A” Top grade artiste of Doordarshan, India. For the past 15 years, he has consistently been commissioned to collaborate with leading South Asian dance artists outside India. With his vast experience, Sathya collaborates passionately as a guest teacher, dancer, choreographer and outside eye.  

Using his strong Bharatanatyam dance as a solid base, Sathya traverses with ease and confidence between traditional, contemporary, folk and popular dance aesthetics, always broadening the scope of Bharatanatyam as a truly global and socially relevant dance form. He is one of the few dance artists from India who has the unique ability to criss-cross internationally always allowing the Bharatanatyam to shine as a world dance form, thereby functioning as a consummate ambassador-crusader of Indian dance.

Awards for his contribution to the Field of Dance: 

“Kala Arthi Rathna” Phoenix Arizona, U.S.A

“Purvankara Sangeethya Asthana Puraskara 2006”

“Naatya kalaa Koushali” Sanathana Kalakshethra March 2009

The Best Male Dancer Award in the name of “Ram Gopal” He is the first recipient of this award presented on 30th Dec 2010