Shane Shambhu is a creative visionary adopting the roles of director, choreographer and creative collaborator. He creates productions that seamlessly integrate differing artistic practices and languages through collaboration, stemming from his knowledge of the Indian Performing Art of bharatanatyam.

Shane has an extensive performance career spanning, dance, theatre, opera, music, mime, mask, circus, film, radio, literature, visual arts and poetry. His productions explore perceptions of race, languages and identities and constantly defy any categorisation.   

Shane Shambhu shares and contributes his 

working knowledge from his unique intercultural 

standpoint to individual projects with companies, 

artists, academics, researchers and 

educationalists. 

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Shane is an articulate, impassioned and engaging speaker.  His talks often take the shape of practical sessions to creatively engage and to stimulate fluid discussions and conversations around interconnected psycho-socio-political issues.       

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Talks & Lectures Archive >>>

The Horizon Ahead...

Shane is currently Complicite Associate, Associate of Lakeside Theatre, University of Essex and receiving regular support from Regent's University, London.  He leads his own module at East 15 Acting School with his unique dance and actor-training model. His continued research has been supported by a number of different Associateships, Residencies and Awards. 

• Dance UK Future Leader Mentoring Scheme, 2013

      mentored by Alistair Spalding CEO, Sadler's Wells

• Escalator Dancer-Producer Initiative, 2012

• Associate Artist, The Hat Factory, Luton, 2011-2013

• Akram Khan Company AKCT Bursary, 2010 

• Directors Observership, Circus Space, Tamasha Theatre, 2011

• Director-Designer Programme, Tamasha Theatre, 2009

• Associate Artist, Dance 4, Nottingham, 2007-2009

• Platinum Programme Award, 2007

• Bonnie Bird Choreography Award, 2006

• Collide Commision, 2006

• Resident Artist, Leicester Haymarket Theatre, 2006

• Resident Artist, Derby Dance Centre, 2005/2006

Shane continues to build upon his practice and examine ideas exploring perceptions of race, language and identities.

Upcoming Projects >>>

The Metamorphosis...

Shane's passion to follow his dream of a career in dance led him to depart from his bharatanatyam teachers, much to their disappointment. Shane's inquisitive and curious nature led him to follow his instincts and soon began exploring outside of his known language of bharatanatyam through working with different companies as a collaborator and performer.  

COMPANIES

OTHER PRODUCTIONS

Shane wanted to pursue dance in his formal education.  However, coming from a then strict Indian upbringing, there was strong resistance from his family to follow that course. Not having discovered a passion for academic study in engineering, applied mathematics, business information systems and marketing management over three years, he left University without graduating.

Whilst Shane was performing and teaching, he furthered his training and knowledge with

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Mavin Khoo 

Prof. C. V. Chandrasekar 

Leela Samson 

Adayar K. Lakshmanan

Narasimhachari

During this time, he continued performing bharatanatyam repertoire at various community events and festivals both nationally and internationally including:

Double-bill with Akram Khan, 1999

Shaw Foundation Theatre, Singapore, 2000

Pradosham a solo performance evening, 2001

Nattuvanar for Mavin Khoo, Taiwan, Taipei, 2001

Nattuvanar, Thirupathy Performance, India, 2002

Pushkala Gopal & Unnikrishnan

Shane Shambhu began training in bharatanatyam with Pushkala Gopal and Unnikrishnan in East London. Pushkala Gopal and Unnikrishnan both trained with The Dhananjayans in Chennai, India.  In addition to their bharatanatyam training, Pushkala trained as a Carnatic singer and still continues to sing, Unnikrishnan also trained in Kathakali from Kalamandalam. Pushkala and Unnikrishnan arrived in the UK in 1986 to perform in the production of Adventures Of Mowgli produced by Akademi.  They remained in the country to promote and present Indian Classical dance due to strong demand for their work at the time.  They launched a company, Akshaya Dance Theatre and set up a bharatanatyam class to train a new generation of bharatnatyam dancers in the UK.