Neila Sathyalingam, Sri Lankan-born Singaporean, Died at 78

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Neila Sathyalingam was born in 1938 and died on March 9, 2017.

She was a Singaporean classical Indian dancer, choreographer, and instructor of Sri Lankan Tamil origin.

She was an alumna of Kalakshetra in Madras (now Chennai) under the tutelage of Srimathi Rukmini Devi Arundale, she emigrated with her family to Singapore in 1974.

During 1977, Neila and her husband founded the performance arts company Apsaras Arts, which has staged performances throughout the world.

Sathyalingam was the company’s artistic director and continued to teach dance.

During 1983, Neila was appointed the dance instructor and choreographer for the Indian Dance Group of the People’s Association (PA)—a state board in Singapore—where she remains a resident choreographer.

Sathyalingam was also an artistic adviser to Singapore’s National Arts Council.

For the contributions she made to dance, she was awarded the Singaporean Cultural Medallion in 1989.

Sathyalingam became a Singapore citizen in 1994.

Neila Sathyalingam passed away at 78 years old.