Alarmel Valli is a leading
Indian classical dancer and
choreographer and the foremost exponent of the
Pandanallur style in the Indian classical dance form,
Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...
. She is widely acclaimed for her ability to turn traditional grammar into deeply internalized, personal dance poetry.
She founded The Dipasikha Dance Foundation in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
in 1984, where she teaches
Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...
.
In 1991, Alarmel Valli was the second youngest dancer to be conferred the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
from the Government of India, after
Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala (born 13 August 1936) is a former Indian actress, dancer and parliamentarian. She is the recipient of several accolades, including two BFJA Awards and five Filmfare Awards. She made her screen debut at the age of thirteen wit ...
. She was awarded the
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2001 by India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama,
[ followed by one of India's highest civilian honours – the ]Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
award from the Government of India in 2004 and Chevalier of Arts and Letters award from the Government of France, also in 2004.
Early life
Alarmel Valli was born and brought up in Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, where she did her schooling at The Sacred Heart Matriculation School, Church Park, Chennai. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Stella Maris College, Chennai. She trained in the Pandanallur style of Bharatanatyam from the age of six under renowned Gurus Pandanallur Chokkalingam Pillai and his son Pandanallur Subbaraya Pillai. She studied music under T. Muktha of the Veena Dhanammal
Veenai Dhanammal ( ta, வீணை தனம்மாள்) (1867–1938) was a highly accomplished Carnatic musician, and the torchbearer of the school of Carnatic music that goes by her name. She was both a vocalist and a performer on the S ...
style of music for many years, with a focus on Padams and Javalis. She also trained in Odissi
Odissi (), also referred to as Orissi in old literature, is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the temples of Odisha – an eastern coastal state of India.[Kelucharan Mohapatra
Kelucharan Mohapatra (8 January 1926 – 7 April 2004) was a legendary Indian classical dancer, guru, and exponent of Odissi dance, who is credited with the revival and popularizing of this classical dance form in the 20th century.
He is ...]
and his disciple Guru Ramani Ranjan Jena[Alarmel Valli Biography]
keralawomen.gov.in; accessed 13 May 2017.
Career
She made her stage debut at 9 ½ at The Indian Institute of Fine Arts, Madras, and was conferred the Natya Kala Bhushan award. She won her laurels on the international scene when she was barely 16 at the International Dance Festival of the prestigious Sarah Bernhardt Théâtre de la Ville
(meaning the City Theatre) is one of the two theatres built in the 19th century by Baron Haussmann at Place du Châtelet, Paris, the other being the Théâtre du Châtelet. It is located at 2, place du Châtelet in the 4th arrondissement.
Incl ...
in Paris and has performed in landmark theatres and festivals ever since, both in India and aboard.
Her research in classical Tamil literature
Tamil literature has a rich and long literary tradition spanning more than two thousand years. The oldest extant works show signs of maturity indicating an even longer period of evolution. Contributors to the Tamil literature are mainly from T ...
and the anthologies of the 2000-year-old Sangam poetry has resulted in a significant repertoire of dance poems. Over the years, she has evolved her distinct style within the framework of classical Bharatanatyam.[
Among her leading students are Ranee Ramaswamy and Aparna Ramaswamy of the Ragamala Dance Company in ]Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
[ and ]Meenakshi Srinivasan
Meenakshi Srinivasan (born 11 June 1971) is an Indian classical dancer and choreographer, and an exponent of the Pandanallur style of Bharatnatyam. She trained under Alarmel Valli and is considered among the most promising soloists of the yo ...
.
Some highlights of Alarmél Valli's international career include her performances at the Bolshoi Theatre, The Vienna International Dance Festival, The Munich Opera Festival, The Edinburgh Festival
__NOTOC__
This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...
, The New York International Festival of Arts, The Avignon Festival, The Cervantino Festival, the Lyon Biennale, The Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...
, The Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no governm ...
and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, The Helsinki Biennale, The Millennium Festival in Berlin and The Frankfurt Alt Oper. In July 2015, she was the first Indian classical dancer to perform at the Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Ama ...
.
In popular culture
A film on Alarmel Valli was made for the Omnibus series, on BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
, by producer Michael Macintyre. Alarmel Valli has also been featured in dance documentaries by noted Indian producers like the late G. Aravindan
Govindan Aravindan (23 January 1935 – 15 March 1991) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, musician, cartoonist, and painter. He was one of the pioneers of parallel cinema in Malayalam. He was known for his unorthodox way of filmma ...
and Prakash Jha
Prakash Jha (born 27 February 1952) is an Indian film producer, actor, director and screenwriter, mostly known for his political and socio-political films such as “Hip Hip Hurray” (1984), '' Damul'' (1984), ''Mrityudand'' (1997), ''Gangaaj ...
, by the BBC (in The Spirit of Asia Series), the Netherlands Broadcasting Company, Arte (France), and Japanese National Television. The Films Division of India
The Films Division of India (FDI), commonly referred as Films Division, was established in 1948 following the independence of India. It was the first state film production and distribution unit, under the Ministry of Information and Broadcastin ...
commissioned a film, titled 'Pravahi', on her for the National Archives of India. It was directed by eminent filmmaker Arun Khopkar, with cinematography by Madhu Ambat
Madhu Ambat is an Indian cinematographer. With a career spanning over 40 years, he is one of the most prolific cinematographers in Indian cinema. He is best known for his work in films such as ''Amaram'', '' Anjali'', and '' Makaramanju''. He c ...
. In 2011,
Lasya Kavya
', a documentary about Alarmel Valli by award-winning director, Sankalp Meshram, won the National Film Award for Best Arts/Cultural Film
The National Film Award for Best Arts/Cultural Film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several aw ...
. [
]
Personal life
Alarmel Valli is married to Bhaskar Ghose, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.
Selected awards and honours
* 1979: State award of ''Kalaimamani
The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of ...
'' from Tamil Nadu Government
Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature, lik ...
* 1980: Nrithya Vikas, from Sur Singar, Mumbai
* 1985: Nritya Choodamani, from Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai.
* 1991: Padma Sri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferr ...
from the Government of India.
* 1997: Awarded the Grande Medaille (Medal) by the City of Paris.
* 2001: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, New Delhi
* 2004: Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
from the Government of India
* 2004: Chevalier of Arts and Letters
The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and letters, Arts and Letters) is an Order (distinction), order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Ministry of Culture (France), Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the w ...
award from the Government of France
* 2012: Naatya Padmam from Brahma Gana Sabha, Chennai
* 2014: Natya Utsav Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai
* 2015: Natya Kala Acharya award from The Music Academy, Chennai
* 2018: Nritya Peroli award from Karthik Fine Arts, Chennai
See also
* Bharatnatyam
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...
* Indian women in dance
External links
Alarmel Valli's Official Website
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valli, Alarmel
Bharatanatyam exponents
Odissi exponents
Indian dance teachers
1956 births
Living people
University of Madras alumni
Artists from Chennai
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts
Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Performers of Indian classical dance
Indian classical choreographers
Indian female classical dancers
Indian women choreographers
Indian choreographers
Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts
Dancers from Tamil Nadu
20th-century Indian dancers
Women educators from Tamil Nadu
Teachers of Indian classical dance
20th-century Indian educators
20th-century Indian women artists
Women artists from Tamil Nadu
Educators from Tamil Nadu
Stella Maris College, Chennai alumni
20th-century women educators