In 1987 Anandavalli started the Lingalayam Dance Academy, a school of
classical Indian dancing. As the years progressed the Academy produced a highly
talented and disciplined group of artists within the school. ‘The Lingalayam Dancers,’ as they came to be known, performed
regularly to sell-out audiences in Sydney.
In 1996 the Lingalayam Dance Company was founded.  This provided further artistic development and
regular professional performing opportunities for those graduates of the
academy whose aim was to become proficient and professional in this ancient art
form.

Lingalayam is unique as an Australian
Indian Dance Company - being one of the few companies of its kind in Australia - and
has contributed immensely to the continuing survival and evolution of an
ancient art form. Lingalayam has established itself as a professional Indian
dance company, producing an annual season, in addition to smaller works which
are developed or commissioned, and performed at various times throughout the
year.

Lingalayam specialises in the Indian classical dance forms of Bharatha Natyam and Kuchipudi. Over the years Lingalayam has demonstrated its
proficiency in the articulation of both these dance vocabularies. With each
production, Lingalayam has challenged the boundaries of the classical Indian
dance tradition, creating innovative work that is  unique both in Australia, and internationally.

Lingalayam has not only entertained Australian audiences, with their flare for
costume and design, and the ever popular live musical accompaniment, they have
maintained their integrity and credibility and demonstrated their commitment to
providing productions rich in content and profound in substance.

Lingalayam
Dance Company’s first performance seasons were at
the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), in Sydney, with productions of Shiva Sthuti
(1996), The Divine Flautist (1997) and Shakti (1998 – which was also re-staged
for the Studio at the Sydney Opera House in 2004). In 1999 Lingalayam moved to the
Newtown Theatre, in Sydney’s
inner west with its premiere season of The Temple Dancer, followed by Serpent
Woman in 2000. With an audience growing in number and diversity, Lingalayam  then took its productions to the larger Seymour
Theatre Centre and enjoyed four successful seasons there, with The Courtesan’s
Daughter (2001), Sthree (2002), Earth and Fire (2003) and Tempest (2004). The
re-staging of Serpent Woman in 2005 at the National Multicultural Festival,  and the presentation of  Kuruntokai – The Interior Landscapes (2006) (which was premiered at the Asian Music and
Dance Festival in 2001) saw Lingalayam
shift its annual season to the Riverside Theatres in Parramatta, as a part of
its Arts NSW audience development strategy in Western Sydney.

Since 1999, Lingalayam has been has been proudly supported by ArtsNSW, and in 2002
Anandavalli, founder, choreographer and artistic director of Lingalayam was the
recipient of a prestigious Australia Council for the Arts -Dance Board
Fellowship.

Lingalayam has in many cases developed its repertoire through international
and national collaborations with artists in both dance and music, involving
artists like Astad Deboo (India),
Albert David (Torres Straight) and Veshnu (Singapore).

In 2005 Lingalayam
brought together its own NSW based orchestra, completing the artistic
operational structure – a permanent company of dancers and musicians. This is
particularly significant in reflecting Lingalayam’s
commitment to support and invest in young Australian dancers and musicians and
to continually evolve and explore the confluence of Eastern and Western
cultural influences.