Meenakshisundaram Pillai (1869–1964) is a classical dance guru considered as the prominent founder of ''Pandanallur style'' of

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 S ...

Indian dance Dance in India comprises numerous styles of dances, generally classified as classical or folk. As with other aspects of Indian culture, different forms of dances originated in different parts of India, developed according to the local tradi ...

. He lived in the village of

Pandanallur Pandanallur is a Suburban of Kumbakonam in the Thiruvidaimarudur taluk of Thanjavur district. It is north of Aduthurai. Pandanallur is a historically important village and is known for its Pasupatiswarar Temple and Adikesava Perumal temple. ...

, in the

Thanjavur district Thanjavur District is one of the Districts of Tamil Nadu, 38 districts of the States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur. The district is located in the delta of the Cauvery River ...

in the

south India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...

n state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

Background

Meenakshisundaram Pillai, whose ancestors were nattuvanars, was a descendant from the

Thanjavur Quartet ''Thanjavur Quartet'' were four brothers, Chinnayya, Ponnayya, Sivanandam and Vadivelu, who lived during the early 19th century and contributed to the development of Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music. They excelled in the art of Bharatanatyam.Th ...

, which comprised four brothers: Chinnaiah, Ponniah, Sivanandam and Vadivel. The works of these four brothers, who were court composers in the early 19th century in Thanjavur, form the main classical masterpieces of Bharatanatyam. Baroda Guru Kubernath Tanjorkar (1916 - 2007), a disciple of Pillai, later established Tanjor Dance Music & Art Research Centre in Baroda, Gujarat. Thiruvallaputhur Swaminatha Pillai, also known as T.K.Swaminatha Pillai, was one of the leading disciples of Pillai. He learned Bharathanatiyam under the Gurukula of Pillai for more than ten years. He also mentored Ram Gopal, who became one of the pioneers of Indian dance in the west. Pillai was said to have been trained by his uncle, Kumarasamy Nattuvanar. He trained several famous Bharata Natyam dancers, including Devadasis such as Pandanallur Jayalakshmi, Thangachi Ammal, Sabaranjitam, as well as people from other castes such as

Mrinalini Sarabhai Mrinalini Vikram Sarabhai (11 May 1918 – 21 January 2016) was an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and instructor. She was the founder and director of the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, an institute for imparting training in dance, ...

, Rukmini Devi and

Tara Chaudhri Tara Chaudhri was an exponent of Indian classical dance. Believed to have hailed from Lahore, she trained under different maestros of dance, and went on to be acclaimed for her versatility and contributions to the dance forms of Kathak, Manipuri, ...

. He was one of the most sought after Bharathanatyam Gurus. After Pillai, his son-in-law Chokkalingam Pillai (1893–1968) became the doyen Guru of the Pandanallur style. Subbaraya Pillai (1914–2008), Chokkalingam Pillai's son, was the next leading Guru of the Pandanallur style. He grew up in the village of Pandanallur and was an apprentice under his grandfather and father. He trained leading dancers such as

Alarmel Valli 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. She is widely acclaimed for her ability to turn traditional grammar in ...

and

Meenakshi Chitharanjan Meenakshi Chitharanjan, an Indian classical dancer, teacher and choreographer, is known as an exponent of the Pandanallur style of the classical dance form of Bharatanatyam. She is the founder of ''Kaladiksha'', an institution promoting Bharata ...

Style

The Pandanallur style developed a reputation for the emphasis on linear geometry that can be found in the ''adavu'' technique, and for its intensity and understatement in ''abhinaya''. The Pandanallur style is renowned for its choreography, which include such highly regarded pieces as the Nine or Ten Tanjore Quartet ''pada-varnams'' . These works featured choreography by Pillai, who named the dramatic choreography "hands," and was also responsible for the ''adavu'' choreography for the ''swara'' passages. Part of their heritage is the valuable jatiswarams (in ''ragams Vasantha,

Saveri Saveri (pronounced sāvēri) is a Carnatic music ragam. This raga is a janya of the 15th Melakarta raga Mayamalavagowla. This raga brings out karuna rasa, i.e. it brings mood of compassion.''Ragas in Carnatic music'' by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, ...

, Chakravakam, Kalyani,

Bhairavi Bhairavi ( sa, भैरवी) is a Hindu goddess, described as one of the Mahāvidyas, the ten avatars of the mother goddess. She is the consort of Bhairava. Etymology The name ''Bhairavi'' means "terror" or "awe-inspiring". She is the ...

''), which incorporate abstract ''adavu'' choreography. Pandanallur style gives a lot of importance to abinayaha (expressions sometimes, abstract). Moreover, stamping the foot hard against the floor is discouraged in this style. Instead, slow movements are used to make the salangai (ankle bells) give out a lot of noise. The strong Footwork whereby every Step is marked, is a result of one of the Arts Music main feature of exactness and accuracy to bring out the Rhythmic vitality as the Dancer is required to have a Natural Rhythmic Body of expression. This Feature was mostly not possible to bring out by each and every one Student.

References

External links

Guardian of Pandanallur tradition
''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Pandanallur Style Classical dance genres of India Bharatanatyam Thanjavur district Nattuvanars