 Alarmel Valli is a foremost exponent of the Pandanallur tradition in BharataNatyam. She is hailed as a creative artist who brings depth, intensity and naturalness to her
work. She has won laurels several times in the major festivals in India and in almost all the cultural capitals of the world.
Born in 1957, Valli at the age of
16 was invited to perform at the
International Dance Festival, of the Sarah Bernardt Theatre De La Ville in Paris.
From then on she has toured widely and received acclaim for her performances in
leading theatres almost all over the world. Along with the performances she has
also given lecture demonstrations, classes, workshops and seminars and has
helped to create an international awareness of Bharatanatyam.
Alarmel Valli was trained by renowned gurus, Shri Chokkalingam Pillai and his son Shri Subbaraya Pillai. Valli has studied ' Padams' and ' Javalis' for many years under the eminent musician Smt.T.Muktha, of the renowned Veena Dhanammal style of music.
She has also
learned Odissi under renowned Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and his disciple Guru
Ramani Ranjan Jena. Valli has done research for around 12 years on classical
Tamil anthologies of Sangam poetry (2000 years old) and she has worked to give
the richness of the poems a visual and melodic dimension. Valli has evolved her
own distinct style and extended her tradition within the broad framework of classical Bharatanatyam.
Watch Video Interview with Alarmel Valli
Alarmel Valli has many honours and awards to her credit. She is the recipient of numerous State and National
awards. Alarmel Valli received the 'State award of Kalaimamani' in 1979 and was made the
'State Artist of Tamilnadu' between 1981 & 84. She was awarded the prestigious title of
'Nrithya Choodamani' in 1985 and was the youngest dancer to be conferred the President's award of
'Padmasri' in 1991. In 1997, she was honoured by the City of Paris, with the 'Grande Medaille de la Ville de
Paris' and in 2001, receive the Award of the Sangeet Natak Akademy. In 1984, Alarmel Valli founded 'Dipashikha' a Centre for Performing
Arts which imparts training for budding talents. Alarmel married to Bhaskar
Ghosh, former I&B secretary and former director general of Doordarshan.
Contact address
Alarmel Valli
"Lavanya", 236 Garden Road, Kilpauk
Chennai - 600 010, India
Phone: 91 - 44 - 26411348 , 26412026
Fax: 91 - 44 - 26411348
Contact now: E-mail
|
