A Singapore-based kathak dancer committed to using traditional story-telling to raise awareness about and start conversations on contemporary social issues.
Sunena is a senior disciple of Guru Mulla Afsar Khan at the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society (SIFAS). She received her diploma and Natya Visharad ‘Best Student’ Title Award in 2016, and has since been devoted to continuing her passion through international performances and platforms.
View a selection of her most accoladed initatives below, and more of her pieces at her YouTube channel.
An international dance-theatre tour to spread awareness and raise $50,000 in funds for youth mental health, spanning 15 performances across the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, and India.
Aaj Ke Naam: Dedicated to Kashmir
An evocative piece in dedication to the citizens of Kashmir who bear the brunt of the border conflict and who are the most affected and yet the most powerless.
An amalgamation of thematic monsoon pieces depicting the vast range of technical, traditional, contemporary and fusion Kathak styles. Used as a fundraiser for Project SMILE Singapore.
Adaa: The Mysterious Essence of a Dancer
A solo recital featuring vandanas, technical compositions, tumris, and Sufis pieces. Used as a fundraiser for Project SMILE Singapore.
A 5-week virtual dance series featuring Singapore’s most respected Indian classical dancers, coming together to express gratitude towards and raise SG$14,000 in funds for Singapore’s migrant workers affected by COVID-19.
A powerful piece set to the song “Bhagwan Hai Kahan Re Tu” (O God, Where are you?), depicting the harrowing incidents of the Delhi riots in February 2020.
New York Kathak Festival 2019 & 2020
The youngest performer amongst a selection of international kathak artsists. In 2020, Sunena performed in the virtual ktathak festival, presenting Dhanak: After the Storm, a COVID-inspired piece. In 2019, Sunena performed an excerpt of her production, Umeed: Colors of Hope, in New York.
Kathak Manch Pravesh (Arangetram)
Singapore’s first kathak Manch Pravesh (arangetram), and Sunena’s solo debut performance, depicting traditional, technical, and sufi elements of her kathak training.
Sunena Gupta 