MALAVIKA SARUKKAI

Perhaps the most accomplished Bharatnatyam exponent performing today, Malavika Sarukkai trained under Guru Kalyansundram, Guru Rajaratnam, Guru Kalanidhi Narayanan, Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra and Guru Ramani Jena.

She was the youngest solo dancer to perform at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, for the Festival of India in London. She has also performed at the Festivals of India in France, USA, Japan and Switzerland. And the Arts Festival of Adelaide, the TANZ 90 at Vienna and the Munich Opera stage.

Malavika, who is also trained in Oddissi (another dance form) has created contemporary presentations that re-invent the traditional, through simple, yet brilliant choreography. Among her notable contemporary performances are Krishna Ritu Krida, Fireflies and Khajuraho: Temples of the Sacred and the Secular.

Malavika's art combines the seemingly contradictory elements of exploration and precision to create performances that are marked by grace, energy and technical mastery.

.........................................Click here for an Interview with Malavika Sarukkai

The youngest dancer to be conferred the President's award of "Padmashri" (in 1991), Alarmel Valli is one of Bharatnatyam's finest artistes.

She is considered the foremost exponent of the Pandanallur tradition in Bharatnatyam.

She trained under Chokkalingam Pillai and his son Subbaraya Pillai. Her study under the eminent musician T. Muktha, helped mould her approach to dance as "Visual Music".

Alarmel Valli's art is characterised by a depth, an intensity that is the direct offshoot of being a passionate artist with amazing technique at her disposal.

Her performances have drawn ecstatic responses from critics and the public in India and across all the major cultural capitals of the world.

For more information on Alarmel Valli: www.alarmelvalli.com

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