Kalamandalam Kshemavathy (born 1948) is a Mohiniyattam dancer from Thrissur, Kerala. She is an alumna of the Kerala Kalamandalam. She joined the institute when she was ten. After completion of the course, she undertook advanced training in Bharata Natyam under Muthuswamy Pillai and Chitra Visweswaran, and in

Kuchipudi Kuchipudi () ( Telugu: ) is one of the eight major Indian classical dances. It originates from a village named Kuchipudi in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Kuchipudi is a dance-drama performance, with its roots in the ancient Hindu Sa ...

under Vempati Chinna Satyam, but chose to remain within the Mohiniyattam tradition.

Credentials

She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2011 for her contributions to Mohinyattam. She has also received the

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...

, She received the

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award is an award given by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Department of Cultur ...

in 1975 (for Bharatanatyam) and the

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship The Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship is an honour presented by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Depa ...

in 2015. Kshemavathy is known for her

abhinaya Abhinaya (Sanskrit ''abhi-'' 'towards' + ''nii-'' 'leading/guide') is the art of expression in Indian aesthetics. More accurately it means "leading an audience towards" the experience (') of a sentiment ('). The concept, derived from Bharata Mun ...

and traditionalist approach to the art form. She encourages research and believes that experimentation is inevitable, but must be explored leaving the basics of the art form untarnished. Her dance school has attracted international talents from Germany, France, Sweden and Finland in the past. She has given a visual representation for about 100 poems, including those of cherrusseri and sugathakumari, "kuchelavrittam", classics like chinthavishtayaya seetha, leela etc., and even ghazals. She is a teacher with a large number of students.

Personal life

Kshemavathy was the wife of

V. K. Pavithran Vattamparambil Krishnan Pavithran, known mononymously as Pavithran (1950–2006) was an Indian cinema director. He primarily concentrated on Malayalam films. Career After completing his graduation Pavithran made two unsuccessful attempts to ...

. She has two daughters, Eva Pavithran and Lakshmi Pavithran.

Filmography

As actress

As Choreographer

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kshemavathy, Kalamandalam Indian female classical dancers Mohiniyattam exponents Performers of Indian classical dance Dancers from Kerala 1948 births Living people Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Date of birth missing (living people) Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Malayali people Classical dancers from Thrissur 20th-century Indian dancers 20th-century Indian women artists Women artists from Kerala 21st-century Indian dancers 21st-century Indian women artists Actresses in Malayalam cinema Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award