Uma Sathya Narayanan

Smt. Umaa Nambudripad Sathya Narayanan is a disciple of Smt. Chitra Visweswaran in Bharatanatyam and also a disciple of Pandit late Sri. R Visweswaran in Carnatic vocal music. A recipient of the Government of India scholarship in Carnatic music (vocal) instituted by the Centre for Cultural Resources & Training (CCRT), New Delhi from 1991 to 2000, she was also awarded the National senior level scholarship in Bharatnatyam instituted by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Department of Culture, Government of India.

As a part of the Dance Musicians’ Training Programme instituted by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi, she has been trained in dance music as well by Sri R. Visweswaran. She has provided vocal support to Sri R. Visweswaran in all the performances staged by Smt. Chitra Visweswaran. She also continues to sing individually for dance performances, thus carrying forward the bani of Sri R Visweswaran in dance music. Having undergone training in dance and other cognate art forms such as nattuvangam, dance music, theory, and stagecraft, in the holistic tradition of Chidambaram Academy of Performing Arts, Chennai, she is now a senior staff member at the same institution. She is a ‘B’ grade artiste for dance with Doordarshan, Chennai.

Apart from participating in the major dance theatre group productions of Smt. Chitra Visweswaran viz 'Pravaaha', 'Sneha', 'Panchali', 'Raghuvamsa Thilakam' (as Seetha), 'Dwaarakanatham Bhaje' (as Andal), 'Agasthya', 'Devaki Pulambal', 'Nritya Shrinkhala', etc. she is also a noted solo dancer and has danced in almost all the leading sabhas of Chennai namely Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Narada Gana Sabha, Bharat Kalachar, Madras Music Academy, Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha and The Mylapore Fine Arts Club to name a few.

The ‘Dharmaravappu Seetharama Anjaneyulu’ endowment prize from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai (Dec 2005).
The Vasanthalakshmi & Narasimhachari Talent Promotion award by Natyarangam, the dance wing of Narada Gana Sabha, Chennai (Sep 2005).
The title of 'Yuva Kala Bharathi' (for all rounder in dance, music and nattuvangam) by Bharat Kalachar, Chennai (Dec 2005).
The Best Upcoming Dancer of the year by the Tchaikovsky Music Club, Russian Centre for Science and Culture, Chennai (Feb 2006).

Umaa has performed extensively in other festivals all over the country like, The Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy (JNMDA) Imphal, Manipur and Guwahati.
Mahashivarathri celebrations by the Muthukrishna Swami Mission Trust at Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The Talent Promotion Scheme (Naalu Kutcheri) by the Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Manram (Govt. Of Tamilnadu).
The prestigious “Nritya Swarn Pratibha” - A Festival Of Dance organised by the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi in collaboration with the Kerala Sangeetha Natak Akademi.
She was invited to perform at the Daasabharatham Festival conducted by Natyarangam, the dance wing of Narada Gana Sabha, Chennai, wherein she choreographed and presented a whole recital based on the 'abhangs' of Saint Tukarm and Namdev, the saint poets of India in the Bharatanatyam genre.

With her gurus, Umaa has toured London, UK in April 2006 in the capacity of doing the 'nattuvangam' at the dance and music festival held at Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank, organised by the Allah Rakha Foundation, UK.
With her guru, Smt. Chitra Visweswaran, Umaa toured the USA (March - April 2007) and performed (in the capacity of a dancer and vocalist) all over the north of America ( Seattle, Chicago, Pittsburgh, San Diego, San Jose, and New Jersey) including the prestigious Cleveland.

It was obvious that she was on a journey to find the ultimate grace and finesse of Bharatanatyam.Throughout the piece, she exhibited a depth and understanding to bring out the true meaning of the lyrics - The Indian Express, Chennai.

Umaa Nambudripad lived the role of Andal as the coy bride as much as Chitra did, playing bride Meera. Umaa Nambudripad stood out for her virtuosity - The Hindu, Chennai.

While the varnam in Kalyani, ‘Sakhiye nee cholladi’ was noteworthy for the balance of nritta and nritya, the sancharis saw her abhinaya soar to great heights
- The Hindu, Coimbatore.

Her nritta is graceful and polished. She covered the stage with ease…it revealed her strong grip in taalam and her attention to the small details in ritta
- The Hindu, Chennai.

Endowed with a supple physique that can bring out the varied picturesque nuances of the Vazhuvoor bani, her pleasing stage presence and serene face added a further touch of divinity to her portrayal. Umaa’s talent in vocal music enriched her mimetic interpretations.Her communication was replete with bhava. Umaa made it a soulful presentation. The brisk arudis extended a lively touch - The Hindu, Chennai.

Abhang groups were present in large numbers to enjoy the Marathi compositions of Tukaram and Namdev and Umaa Nambudripad Sathya Narayanan gave them enough reason to be happy. Dressed aptly in a ‘Nawari’ sari, complete with a traditional ‘nath’ on her nose, Umaa kept up the devotional quotient in her presentation by punctuating it with well thought out sancharis of Panduranga - The Hindu, Chennai.

And her embellishment with lighter adavus with more of floor covering steps was technically satisfying - The Indian Express, Chennai.