Meet Sangeetha Santhebennur of NYC/LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sangeetha Santhebennur.

Hi Sangeetha, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Sangeetha; the world knows me as Sang. I am a multimodal performing artist in pursuit of riding out the flow state. I am a proud child of Indian immigrants, born and raised in Central Jersey. From a young age, I’ve always been a musically inclined person. I come from a rich paternal thread of singers, and glass-shattering maternal lineage. Growing up, I never imagined myself pursuing a career like I am; it was only a distant sliver of my wildest dreams. Now, here I am, 5+ years in as a professional, and relearning on the daily that it’s not the identity of being an “artist” that defines me, but it is the creativity of an artist mindset that allows me to consistently reframe the big bad world as a canvas of never-ending opportunity.

I am a singer, dancer, actress, model, choreographer and instructor, and more. I’ve worked across multiple channels of the entertainment industry including theater (Broadway, Cirque du Soleil), commercial modeling (MAC Cosmetics, Apple, EOS, Hilton Hotels, +more), film (Netflix), live concerts (Raveena: Where The Butterflies Go In The Rain), and more. Currently, I’m touring with the Broadway National Tour of Hell’s Kitchen: Alicia Keys hit musical. As I span work as a performer, I’ve been developing the context of my own voice, aiming to share music of my own. This has been my life’s work and it’s been one foot in front of the other. Chasing passions and internal gut feelings, along with finding the right mentor figures along the way. No matter where I may be on this path, I aim to find ways to authentically express myself. And if that helps someone feel seen along the way, then I know that none of this is in vain. Because if it’s one thing I know how to do, it’s share vulnerably. Come along for the journey!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Funny how everything looks smoother in retrospect. I’d say it’s been an uphill battle for sure, but one that I wouldn’t have any other way. At each stage (I’m old enough to have felt a few stages at this point), I feel like the focal point is different. The goal of sharing with the world has stayed pretty consistent… but with each phase a different struggle. At one point my biggest block was how I was going to get my family to understand my pursuits. For a long time I had these dreams (Broadway, singing, dancing, touring and anything else that seemed impossible…) seeded in my brain; because I’d yet to actualize them verbally myself, I couldn’t even explain them to anyone else. No one in my family knew what a life of artistry could look like. So in seeing me now, they are, in real time being exposed to a plethora of possibilities as well. At another point in time, the struggle was how to balance school with dance, my first love and the modality that introduced me to the professional level of performing. Business school and dance didn’t have a direct overlap in my experience and although it was a long time ago, I commend the hustle that younger me had. Some more current challenges include thinking about the longevity factor as a dancer (because it is such a physically intense profession), and the evolution of an artist. All of this type of work is a privilege to have because so many people want to be here. And that’s not something I take for granted, At the same time, there’s always a balance of gratitude and reality to be found, and that’s up to the individual to determine. As you start to weigh the components of your own life, all you can aim to do is have a good understanding of your own internal compass and continually strengthen your discernment.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I consider myself a “Jackie of All Trades.” Finish the whole phrase though…

“Jackie of all trades, master of none, oftentimes better than a master of one.” I started my career off as a dancer. I’ve danced on Broadway, danced behind recording artists, taught choreography classes around the country and globally, and I’m still learning what my own limitations are and how I can surpass them. In that, I’ve also nourished the other skills that make me who I am – the singing, the modeling, the acting. Each modality pours into the other, whether the through-lines can be immediately visible or not. What I love about my career is that I’ve been so blessed to have such a wide variety of experiences, that I don’t feel boxed into any one path. Maybe acting becomes my main hustle in 10 years… maybe this music thing picks up for me. Something I’ve picked up intentionally rather recently. And that’s the exciting part!

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
One of the biggest risks I feel like I’ve taken in my life is pivoting careers straight after graduation. It was a choice that was made fully on life’s circumstances, timing, passion and honestly, ignorance. Ignorance of what hard work would truly mean for young twenty-something with dreams so big that words couldn’t suffice. In a way, I’m still figuring out how to use my words to define those dreams (that I now realize can be ever-changing). I grew up in an immigrant household – the second child of two relentlessly hard-working, dedicated and humble parents. Their main goal was to set my brother and I up for success, which was inherently financial. That goal was achievable through the pursuit of education. It was a clear pipeline of events – higher education in anything STEM would lead to a plethora of work opportunities, and thus opportunities to safely and securely support ourselves. To have worked over 2 decades for these degrees and then decide that I wanted to dance/perform/entertain for a living wasn’t something that I could explain. It also was no where near an overnight goal. But I’d always been (from a very young age), a relentless go-getter and even though I couldn’t yet visualize what success would look like as a performing artist, I could feel a world with me existing in it. I’ve been taught to be quite risk averse. In my experience, my life has taught me how daring I am. Some people may look at my journey and think that it hasn’t been risky at all… and that’s their truth. To me, calculated risk is always a smart way to go, but strengthening that gut feeling that tells you when to take a leap and not think… that’s the real muscle. That’s the muscle that strengthens when you sit in your own silence and decide what’s for you aside from any other noise coming from life itself. That’s where you learn tolerance for risk-taking… and a practice I’m continually working on.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sangsanthebennur/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sangsanthebennur
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sangeethasanthebennur

Image Credits
Corey Rives (@coreyrivesvisualart)
Hell’s Kitchen Broadway (@hellskitchenbway)
Maria Juliana (@maju.rogo)
Taylor Miller (@taylormillerphoto)
Marc J. Franklin (@marcjfranklin)
Ivan (@isit.ivan.itis)
Groupchat Magazine (@groupchat.mag)
Stephanie Price (@spriceimages)