ALARMEL VALLI

Sreyashi Dey

Shovana Narayana

Chitra Visweswaran

Bharati Shivaji

SapanaSundari

Acclaimed not only for the perfection of her dance, Alarmel Valli, the foremost exponent of the Pandanallur tradition in Bharatanatyam, is also hailed as a creative artist who brings to everyone of her dances, depth, intensity and naturalness. Critics have described her as “ a paragon among dancers” and “ the essence of Dance itself”

Trained by renowned gurus, Shri Chokkalingam Pillai and his son Shri Subbaraya Pillai, she has enriched and extended the frontiers of her dance tradition. Her style is unique and distinctly her own and has been described as - "An effortless synchronisation of apparent contradictions: linearity and lyricism, symmetry and sinuosity, precision and poetry".

Her study of Padams & Javalis under the eminent musician Smt. T. Muktha, of the renowned Dhanammal’s School of music, has helped Valli explore the ideal of dance, as visual music- to express the subtle distinction between the literal translation of the lyric into body language and the mature, evolved transmutation of music into movement. A critic writes - "An Alarmel Valli or Suzanne Farrel can literally embody infinite subtleties of the emotions, intricacies of design, glimpses of the Divine. They can, momentarily at least, wrench order out of chaos".

Recipient of numerous awards, she was conferred the State award of Kalaimamani in 1979 and was made the State Artist of Tamilnadu between 1981 & 84. In December 1985 she was awarded the prestigious title of Nrithya Choodamani and in January 1991, she was the youngest dancer to be conferred the President's award of "Padmasri". She founded "Dipasikha" a Centre for Performing Arts, in 1984.

Valli has won her laurels several times over in the major festivals of India and in almost all the cultural capitals of the world, and has received standing ovations in leading theatres of North and South America, Europe, U.S.S.R., the Middle East, Israel, Syria, Egypt, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, Tasmania and Japan.

A few of the highlights of Valli's career on the international scene would include her performances at the famous Bolshoi Theatre - Moscow, at the Theatre De La Ville Festivals in Paris, in 1973, 1997 and 1998, The Cervantino Festival - Mexico, the Vienna International Dance Festivals, the Harbourfront Festival -Toronto, the New York International Festival of Arts, the Avignon Festival, the Basel Dance Festival, the Helsinki Biennale, the Min-On Association Festival of Japan, the Festival at the Hague Palace for the birthday celebrations of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, the Bergen International Festival of Norway in 1997, the Festival for The Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Pina Bausch's Wuppertal Dance Theatre in 1998 and the Cultural Festival at the Royal Albert Hall for the joint celebrations of the 50th year of Independence of India, Pakistan and Srilanka. In October 1999, Valli performed at the Solo Donna Festival, organised as part of the Venice Biennale.

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