SRI Events & Production
IDD Festival 2026: “Blindfolded” – Reimagining the Great Indian Epic Mahabharata
28 February 2026 at Victoria Theatre, Singapore
This dance-theatre enters the inner world of legendary Queen Gandhari, who famously blindfolded herself upon her marriage to a blind king. But on the eve of the Kurukshetra war that threatened to devastate the Indian subcontinent in its time, Gandhari’s Conscience emerges to question whether she had blinded herself to CONSCIENCE itself. Her Conscience forces Gandhari to examine her choices, silences and the moral blindness that shaped her family’s fate, bringing them and others to the brink of annihilation.
“Blindfolded” emerges as both a denunciation of war and a call to awaken to truth and Dharma (right-action) within ourselves in these conflicted times. In SRI’s signature style, it included art forms from other disciplines.
IDD Festival 2025: “Dancing Rivers – Kallang to Kaveri”
3 and 4 May 2025 at Goodman Arts Centre Black Box, Singapore
This production honours several rivers that birthed civilisations – to inspire gratitude for and awe of these timeless lifelines of humanity. Blending dance from diverse ethnic styles and disciplines, it was visually and intellectually delightful.
Digital Re-launch of Docu-film "And Miles to Flow"
27 Aug 2023, online
SRI founder, Shantha Ratii, delved into the depths of her classical dance craft, exploring common seeds in Indian Kathakali, Chinese Opera, and Japanese Noh and Kabuki traditions. She reveals this in her docufilm “And Miles to Flow”, which she produced, scripted and directed over four years. It was selected for the International Documentary Festival (1998) and a 2006 retrospective. In August 2023, it was globally relaunched through SRI by US-based Renu Foundation, led by Anita Kulkarni.
Indian Rainbow Series
26-27 Aug 2022 – Indian Rainbow
25 & 26 Aug 2023 – Indian Rainbow II
6 & 7 Sep 2024 – De-coding Indian Dance
5 & 6 Sep 2025 – “Embracing Nature”
Indian Rainbow Series, showcasing the evolution and thematic diversity of the productions led by Shantha Ratii.
Swati Sougandhikam
10 March 2023 at Stein Auditorium, Habitat Centre, India
SRI paid homage to Travancore’s poet-king, Swathi Thirunal, in celebrating his evergreen compositions through Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam and Kuchipudi performances by leading artistes of each form. The display captured the rich spectrum of emotions embodied by the Nayikas of Indian literary tradition.
Insights from NLB’s Digital Archive of Singapore Tamil Dance
30 July 2022 at National Library Singapore
SRI founder, Shantha Ratii, shared her beginnings, journey and artistic process as a Bharatanatyam dancer, a dance form that originated in Tamil Nadu. Through her own experiences, she highlighted the core values behind independent dance-making in Singapore.
IDD Festival 2022 – Veera Naaree (Honouring Warrior Women Past and Present)
2 and 3 September 2022 at Goodman Arts Centre Blackbox, Singapore
This edition of SRI’s IDD Festival Singapore pays tribute to extraordinary women – past and present – who courageously broke barriers. From legendary warriors like China’s Hua Mulan and India’s Queen Rudramma Devi, to modern-day heroes who fought on various fronts during Covid-19, this performance celebrates women’s resilience, strength and unwavering spirit.
IDD Festival 2021 – Celebrating Women
24 and 25 September 2021 at Goodman Arts Centre Blackbox, Singapore
Time: 7:30pm
This installation of SRI’s IDD Festival celebrates women through a unique cross-cultural collaboration between Indian Bharatanatyam and Chinese dance artistes. It ups the ante by incorporating martial arts traditions like Keralan Kalaripayattu and Malay Silat in telling the story of the strength and struggles of a Warrior Queen.
Poothana’s Liberation
May 19, 2021
Poothana, a demoness, is tasked with a mission to kill baby Krishna. Disguising herself as a beautiful woman, she travels to the pastoral town of Gokul. She is killed by baby Krishna while attempting to breastfeed Him poisoned milk.
Poothana attains Moksha.
IDD Festival 2020: “SPARKS” – Firing Up the Next Generation
6 and 7 November 2020, Online
SRI achieved its objective to engage the youth in “SPARKS”, as founder, Shantha Ratii, mentored young dancers, nurtured original choreography and encouraged new voices. The result was young artistes from diverse cultural disciplines performing together.
It was also SRI’s first online programme presentation, its response to the constraints on audiences caused by Covid-19. It demonstrated SRI’s resilience and resourcefulness in the face of challenging times. The programme was viewed by people around the world; a blessing in disguise that exposed SRI to a larger and international audience.
IDD Festival 2019: “SPRING”
26 and 27 April 2019, Drama Centre Blackbox, Singapore
SPRING exudes the qualities that spring eternally in the human breast;
hope, the anticipation of all that is new and fresh, and the joy in revelling in renaissance and resurgence. These were artistically enacted in a dialogue of dance between Flamenco and Bharatanatyam dancers, in a repartee of rhythm and fancy footwork to delight the audience.
Communication – The Eternal Theme for Dance
2019, Singapore
The event was held in honour of the 200th Anniversary of Singapore’s founding by Stamford Raffles.
The Singapore Performing Arts Association gathered dancers from all over the world in Singapore to talk about the past, present and future of dance, including the opportunities and challenges dance faces. SRI founder, Shantha Ratii, was included in the coterie.
IDD Festival 2018: “A Singaporean Bouquet of Dance” – A Celebration of the Human Spirit
4, 5 and 6 May 2018, Goodman Arts Centre Blackbox, Singapore
It was the inaugural performance for IDD Singapore Festival; a trail-blazing celebration of Singapore’s multi-cultural, multi-ethnic ethos in dance and music.
IDD 2017: Launch of International Dance Day (IDD) Singapore
2017
In 2017, SRI introduced and initiated the Singapore Chapter of International Dance Day, aligning the city with others across the globe that honour the art of dance on this day dedicated to it.
Anticipating cross-cultural collaborations and aspiring to boundary-pushing performances, IDD Singapore was designed to reflect the nation’s rich multicultural spirit.
Mix It Up: 6-Part Dance Performance Series
2016 – 2017, multiple venues, Singapore
From 2016 through 2017, SRI produced an exuberant series demonstrating collaborations between diverse dance disciplines – Ballet, Bharatanatyam, Flamenco, Kathakali, Western contemporary, Kuchipudi – accompanied by varied music and instruments played in concert – the Chinese Pipa, Middle-Eastern Oud, Mridangam, Guitar, Tabla, Sonic Sound and Carnatic vocals. The multi-cultural dialogue represented Singapore and resonated its spirit. It was true to the raison d’etre of SRI, and an apt debut programme.
Navodaya – Brink of Hope
July 2016, Esplanade Theatre Studio, Singapore
A solo dance-theatre by SRI founder, Shantha Ratii, deploring environmental degradation and climate change. SRI used new artistic practices and innovative approaches to engage with this social issue.
Moksha Katha
2010, 2014, 2015, Singapore and India
A thought-provoking solo dance-theatre exploring the concept of Dharma: does it indemnify us from consequences? How to navigate the dilemma of righteousness day to day? SRI founder, Shantha Ratii, essayed the performance in three dance styles: Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam and Kathakali.