Somi founded Apsaras Arts Adelaide in 2013 under the blessings of her guru Smt Neila Sathyalingam (Founder of Apsaras Arts Singapore) and is the youngest of the 4 director's operating under the Apsaras Arts franchise globally. 

Raised in Singapore , Somi took her first steps in Bharatanatyam at the age of 5 under the tutelage of her guru, the esteemed late Smt Neila Sathyalingam. Smt Neila was one of the pioneer practitioner's of the classical Indian dance form in Singapore, and herself a direct disciple of the visionary founder of Kalakshetra's Rukmini Devi Arundale. 

Under the guidance of her teacher, Somi trained and performed extensively throughout her childhood. With a multicultural performing arts troupe commissioned by the Government of Singapore to promote the country’s multi ethnic diaspora, Somi represented Singapore as a “Singapore Little Angel” in the nineties. 

By the age of 15, Somi had staged her Arangetram - a solo dance debut. This pivoted her deep interest into dance further and she spent many school holidays travelling to India for more specialised training. 

In her performing journey with Apsaras Arts, Somi continued to represent the company extensively. The Singapore Arts Festival, Chingay Parade, Singapore Youth Festival, Esplanade’s Kalautsavam and WOMAD were some of the many local and international festivals held in Singapore that Somi routinely performed for.

Since settling in Australia and subsequently establishing Apsaras Arts Adelaide, Somi discovered her untapped potential  and love for teaching Bharatanatyam. She has curated a syllabus of Bharatanatyam specially tailored for children, and has a growing student population of adult learners- attesting to her ability to inspire and address the needs of a variety of dancers.  She continues regular professional development through conferences, and has been a mentee of the noted teaching artist Ms Durga Devi Manimaran since 2016 focussing on pedagogy in Bharatanatyam.

Notable Performances