Geeta Chandran | |
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| Born | Delhi, India |
| Known for | Dancer - Bharatanatyam |
| Spouse | Rajiv Chandran (married 1985-present) |
| Awards | Padma Shri |
Geeta Chandran is an Indian Bharatanatyam dancer and vocalist. [1] [2] Trained in Carnatic music, she is a visionary and celebrated artist in Indian classical Bharatanatyam, recognized for her work in theatre, dance, education, videos and films. [3]
In order to expand her frontiers in the classical arts, Chandran has collaborated with dancers, musicians, authors, writers, poets, painters, theatre-personalities, academicians, philosophers, linguists, and costume & fashion designers.
She studied Mathematical Statistics at Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi. [4] Her specialization in Bharatanatyam Abhinaya began at the feet of her first Guru, Abhinaya Saraswathy, followed by Gurus Jamuna Krishnan and Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan, who helped hone her skills. Geeta’s Junior Fellowship from the Ministry of Culture was for a project on Vachika Abhinaya, which linked her dance to her training as a Carnatic vocalist. She integrated poetry and pads from northern devotional poets into the Bharatanatyam repertoire during her Senior Fellowship, which was for Haveli Sangeet. [5]
After doing her Master's degree from IIMC in 1984, she used to work as a Course Coordinator at IIMC for one year before attending NAMEDIA Foundation, where she worked alongside renowned media luminaries Nikhil Chakravorty and N.L. Chawla, former IIMC Director. On receiving the Padma Shri, she said "What I learned at IIMC laid the groundwork for my pedagogy of social communication through dance. All of my work in environmental, gender and peace performances can be traced back to IIMC. That is something I will be eternally grateful for." [6] Later, She worked in NTPC's public relations department before committing full-time to Bharatanatyam, her passion since the age of five. [2]
As founder and President of the Dance Company Natya Vriksha, her areas of engagement have ranged from pure classical work and research, to intense preparation of classical soloists, creating group choreographies and also engaging with cross-over work. She is also the Professor Adjunct at Birla Institute of Technology, Pilani, driven by the strong belief that dance should make a difference to life and living. [7]
She is a nominee to the executive Board of the Central Sangeet Natak Acacdemy and she is a Member of the General Council of the SNA. She is also a Member of the General Council of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and is a Member on ICCR's Empanelment Committee.
Her commitment to Arts Education has led her to advocating incremental arts education supporting both government and private initiatives to achieve a higher level of arts learning as part of formal education. She has guided reputed national cultural institutions like SPIC MACAY and prestigious universities as their Board member. She has also served on the Advisory Boards of several reputed schools and colleges, engaging with various dance-related activities such as performing, teaching, conducting, singing, collaborating, organizing, writing and speaking to new youth audiences.
In the summer of 2013, she travelled through Poland popularizing Bharatanatyam and Indian values.
She is also associated with several NGOs and is well-known for her philanthropic work, especially regarding issues of gender and poverty.
She has narrated an intensely personal collection about her engagement with Bharatanatyam in her autobiography 'So Many Journeys'. She has also written articles for dance columns in The New Indian Express. [5]
She received the Dandayudhapani Pillai Award for Bharatanatyam in 2001 and the Millennium Award. [8] The Government of India awarded Chandran the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honor, in 2007, for her contributions to the field of art. [9]
In 2007, she was invited to perform at the World Hindi Conference in New York, and then again to represent India at the India-60 celebrations at the Lincoln Centre in New York. She was invited to travel all over the UK as part of the celebrations of 60 year of the Indian Republic.
In April 2009, in her book author Canadian Anne Dublin's book entitled Dynamic Women Dancers (Women's Hall of Fame series) listed Geeta Chandran as one of ten global all time great dancers.
Geeta Chandran has been conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi Puruskar for Bharatanatyam for the year 2016. [10]
She has received several other notable awards, including the Lady Shri Ram College Illustrious Alumna Award, the Bharat Nirman Award, the Natya Ilavarasi, the Indira Priyadarshini Award, the Media India Award, the National Critics Award, the Sringar Mani and the Natya Ratna.
The Alumni Association of the Indian Institute of Mass Communications also awarded her with its first Lifetime Achievement Award during the 10th annual meet Connections on 27 February 2022. [11]
Sonal Mansingh is an Indian classical dancer and Guru in Bharatanatyam and Odissi dancing style. She has been nominated by the President of India to become a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. She is the recipient of Padma Bhushan in 1992 and Padma Vibhushan in 2003.
Mungara Yamini Krishnamurthy was an Indian classical dancer recognized for her contributions to Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. She was a recipient of the Padma Shri (1968), Padma Bhushan (2001), Padma Vibhushan (2016) and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1977).
Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar (15 February 1899 – 14 January 1990) was a celebrated master performance artist and Sanskrit scholar from Kerala, India, considered to be the greatest Chakyar Koothu and Koodiyattam artist and authority of modern times. He was considered as the authority of Abhinaya and Nātyaśāstra.
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Kalanidhi Narayanan was an Indian dancer and teacher of Indian classical dance form of Bharatnatyam, who was the early non-devadasi girl to learn the dance form and perform it on stage in the 1930s and 1940s. After a brief career in the 1940s, she returned to dance in 1973 and became a notable teacher of abhinaya.
K. Venkatalakshamma was a renowned Bharatanatyam dancer. A doyenne of the Mysore Style of Bharatanatyam, she was the last representative of the Mysore court tradition. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour, in 1992.
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Maya Rao was an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and educator, in Kathak dance. She is known for her pioneering work in Kathak choreography, especially in dance ballets, and is credited for bringing Kathak, a North Indian-dance style to South India, when she opened her dance school, Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography (NIKC) in Malleswaram, Bangalore in 1987. She was also the founder director of her dance company, "Natya and Stem Dance Kampni", an amalgam of NIKC and the STEM Dance Kampni based in Bangalore. After her early training under Guru Sohanlal of Jaipur Gharana, followed by Guru Sunder Prasad also of the Jaipur Gharana, and went to train under Guru Shambhu Maharaj of Lucknow Gharana at National Institute of Kathak Dance in Delhi.
Madras Kadiravelu Saroja, was an Indian classical dancer, known for her expertise, as an exponent and as a teacher, in the classical dance form of Bharatanatyam. The Government of India honored her, in 2011, with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for her services to the field of art and culture.
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Malavika Sarukkai is an Indian classical dancer and choreographer specializing in Bharatanatyam. A 2002 winner of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, she was honoured by the Government of India in 2003 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.
Kanaka Srinivasan is an Indian classical dancer and one of the leading exponents of the classical dance form of Bharat Natyam. She is a disciple of Vazhuvoor B. Ramaiyah Pillai and is aligned with Vazhuvur tradition of the dance form. She is a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award of 1998. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2006, for her contributions to Indian classical dance.
Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma (1935–2012), popularly known as Satyam, was an Indian classical dancer and choreographer, considered by many as one of the leading exponents of the classical dance form of Kuchipudi. He was known for his portrayal of female characters such as Usha, Satyabhama, Deva Devi, Mohini, Sasirekha and Gollabhama (Gollakalapam). He was a recipient of several honors including Kalidas Samman, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 1970, for his contributions to Dance.
Ananda Shankar Jayant is an Indian classical dancer, choreographer, scholar and bureaucrat, known for her proficiency in the classical dance forms of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. She is the first woman officer in the Indian Railway Traffic Service on South Central Railway and her 2009 TED talk is ranked among the top twelve Incredible TED talks on cancer. She is a recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Kalaimamani Award of the Government of Tamil Nadu and Kala Ratna Award of the Government of Andhra Pradesh. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2007, for her contributions to arts.
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