Jayaprabha Menon

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Jayaprabha Menon
ജയപ്രഭ മേനോൻ
Born
Jayaprabha T.K

(1967-11-27) 27 November 1967 (age 57)
Calicut, Kerala, India
Nationality Indian
OccupationIndian classical dancer
Years active1971–present
SpouseJayaprakash Menon
ChildrenRadhika Menon & Jaikishen Menon
ParentKuzhipat Vijayaraghavan & Rugmini Vijayaraghavan
Awards Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award (2015) [1]
Website www.jayaprabhamenon.com

Jayaprabha Menon is a Mohiniyattam dancer [2] [3] [4] from New Delhi, India. Born and brought up in Kozhikode (Calicut), Kerala, later settled in New Delhi, India. She completed her education at Providence Girls High School, Calicut; Malabar Christian College and MES Women's College.

Contents

Biography

At the age of 4, [5] she was initiated into Bharatnatyam under the tutelage of Guru Kalamandalam Saraswathi at Nrityalaya, Kozhikode, where she was further trained in Mohiniyattam & Kuchipudi. At a very young age she started performing solo and participated in state and national-level competitions, following which she was selected to be a representative from Kerala for the Festival of India in the USSR in 1987. She was also the recipient of a senior scholarship from the Government of India, with a one-year extension for her excellence in performance. She was graded from Doordarshan Kendra, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, for both Bharatnatyam and Mohiniyattam in the year 1987. During these times she started presenting full-length performances of Bharatnatyam, Mohiniyattam, and Kuchipudi with live music organized by Tapasya, Lions Club, and The Rotary Club, to name a few, for fundraising and charitable causes. She was married to Jayaprakash Menon, a Hindustani vocalist, in the year 1990 and moved to Vadodara, Gujarat. After the marriage she got a chance to learn Bharatnatyam under the guidance of Bharatnatyam dancer, academician, dance scholar, composer, and choreographer C. V. Chandrasekhar, the Dean of Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Gujarat. In the year 1993, she moved back to Calicut, Kerala, along with her family. She was introduced to Sopana Sangeetham Mohinyattam by Padma Shri Bharati Shivaji and continued under her guidance for four years. Further, she was groomed and mentored by eminent theatre personality and scholar Padma Bhushan Kavalam Narayana Panicker, who gave her the courage and confidence to explore more into the regional fervor and present contemporary themes within the frame of Mohiniyattam. [6] She is known for her graceful Nritta and aesthetic presentation. [7] She is one of the foremost dancers, who has done innovative choreographic works in Mohiniyattam. [8] She achieved many recognitions for her dance career. [9]

Notable dance performances

Awards and recognitions

Related Research Articles

<i>Mohiniyattam</i> Classical dance of India

Mohiniyattam is an Indian classical dance form originating from the state of Kerala. The dance gets its name from Mohini – the female enchantress avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu, who helps the devas prevail over the asuras using her feminine charm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian classical dance</span> Performance arts rooted in Hindu musical theatre

Indian classical dance, or Shastriya Nritya, is an umbrella term for different regionally-specific Indian classical dance traditions, rooted in predominantly Hindu musical theatre performance, the theory and practice of which can be traced to the Sanskrit text Natya Shastra. The number of Indian classical dance styles ranges from six to eight to twelve, or more, depending on the source and scholar; the main organisation for Indian arts preservation, the Sangeet Natak Academy recognizes eight: Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathakali, Sattriya, Manipuri and Mohiniyattam. Additionally, the Indian Ministry of Culture includes Chhau in its list, recognising nine total styles. Scholars such as Drid Williams add Chhau, Yakshagana and Bhagavata Mela to the list. Each dance tradition originates and comes from a different state and/or region of India; for example, Bharatanatyam is from Tamil Nadu in the south of India, Odissi is from the east coast state of Odisha, and Manipuri is from the northeastern state of Manipur. The music associated with these different dance performances consists many compositions in Hindi, Malayalam, Meitei (Manipuri), Sanskrit, Tamil, Odia, Telugu, Assamese, and many other Indian-Subcontinent languages; they represent a unity of core ideas and a diversity of styles, costumes, and expression.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dance in India</span> Classical to folk dance arts of India

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 traditions and also imbibed elements from other parts of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guru Gopinath</span>

Perumanoor Gopinathan Pillai, more popularly known as Guru Gopinath was a well known Indian actor-cum-dancer. He is well regarded as the greatest preserver of the dance tradition. He is a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship, and the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Divyaa Unni</span> Indian actress and classical dancer

Divyaa Unni is an Indian former actress and classical dancer of Indian origin who teaches various forms of dance such as Bharathanatyam, Kuchipudi and Mohiniyattom. As an actress, she mainly appeared in Malayalam language films, in addition to few Tamil, Telugu and Kannada language films too.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerala Kalamandalam</span> Art school in Thrissur, India

Kerala Kalamandalam, a deemed-to-be-University of Art and Culture by the Government of India, is a major centre for learning Indian performing arts, especially those that developed in the country's southern states, with special emphasis on those from Kerala. The institution, on the banks of the Bharathapuzha river, is situated in the small town of Cheruthuruthi in Thrissur district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanak Rele</span> Indian dancer (1937–2023)

Kanak Rele was an Indian dancer, choreographer, and academic best known as an exponent of Mohiniyattam. She was the founder-director of the Nalanda Dance Research Centre and the founder-principal of the Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya in Mumbai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smitha Rajan</span> Musical artist

Smitha Rajan is an Indian Mohiniyattam performer from Kerala and granddaughter of the Indian classical dancers Padma Shri Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair and Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalamandalam Satyabhama</span> Indian classical dancer, teacher and choreographer

Kalamandalam V. Satyabhama was an Indian classical dancer, teacher and choreographer, known for her performances and scholarship in Mohiniyattam. She was awarded the Padma Shri, in 2014, for her contributions to the art and culture, by the Government of India.

Bharati Shivaji is an Indian classical dancer of Mohiniyattom, choreographer and author, known for her contributions to the art form by way of performance, research and propagation. She is the founder of Center for Mohiniyattam, a dance academy promoting Mohiniyattom and the co-author of two books, Art of Mohiniyattom and Mohiniyattom. She is a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and Sahitya Kala Parishad Samman. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2004, for her contributions to Indian classical dance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neena Prasad</span> Indian dancer

Neena Prasad is an Indian dancer. She is an exponent in the field of Mohiniyattam. She is the founder and principal of Bharthanjali Academy of Indian Dances in Thiruvananthapuram and Sougandika Centre for Mohinyattam in Chennai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalamandalam Radhika</span>

Kalamandalam Radhika is an Indian classical dancer, choreographer, research scholar, teacher, writer and philanthropist. She was the first non-resident Keralite to win the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award for Mohiniyattom. She learnt Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam, Kathakali and other dance forms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair</span> Indian actor (1916–2021)

Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair, also known as Guru Chemancheri was an Indian Kathakali actor. He spent over eighty years learning and teaching and performing Kathakali, a major form of classical Indian dance. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour, Padma Shri in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gopika Varma</span> Indian Mohiniyattam dancer

Gopika Varma is a Kerala born Mohiniyattam dancer and dance teacher who is settled in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. She received several awards including Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award and Kalaimamani.

Kalamandalam Sugandhi is a Mohiniyattam dancer, choreographer and dance teacher from Kerala, India. She received several awards including Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship, Kerala Konkani Sahitya Academy Award and Kerala Kalamandalam Award.

V. K. Hymavathy popularly known as Kalamandalam Hymavathy is a Mohiniyattam dancer and dance teacher from Kerala, India. She received several awards including Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Gurupooja Award and Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award.

Mansiya V. P. is an Indian dancer who specialises in the Bharatanatyam form of Indian classical dance. She has pursued her career in dancing, despite facing social ostracism by orthodox among Muslims on account of her dancing while being a non-Hindu. She has also faced exclusion from some Hindu temples.

Aishwarya Warrier is a Mohiniyattam dancer, art educator, choreographer, and researcher. Born in Calicut, Kerala, Ayswaria grew up in Mumbai and later settled in Vadodara, Gujarat. She was initiated into the art of Indian classical dance at the age of five by her mother, Sreebala Menon. As a child, Ayswaria was also a voice over artist, working under the guidance of her father, Mukundan Menon, who was a speaker and script writer at the Films Division of India. Subsequently, Ayswaria trained in the two styles of Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam under eminent Gurus such as Dr.Sucheta Bhide Chapekar, Udyogamandal Vikraman, and Kalamandalam Saraswathi. Ayswaria learnt the finer aspects of netrabhinaya from Margi Usha, and she obtained guidance in Sopana Sangeetham under Padma Bhushan Kavalam Narayana Panicker. She is the artistic director of Nrityodaya School of Classical Dance, Vadodara, Gujarat and the Director at Ayswaria's Institute for Creative Expression, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra.

References

  1. "സംഗീത നാടക അക്കാദമി കലാശ്രീ പുരസ്കാരങ്ങള്‍ പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചു". www.deshabhimani.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023.
  2. Service, Express News (8 October 2013). "Devadasi Award for Jayaprabha Menon". The New Indian Express.
  3. Dave, Ranjana (7 February 2018). "Solo act". The Hindu via www.thehindu.com.
  4. "Foot loose". 21 September 2009.
  5. Pioneer, The. "Mohiniyattam exponent Jayaprabha Menon features in Baaton Baaton Mein episode". The Pioneer.
  6. "Jayaprabha Menon performs at Nrutholsavam". The Times of India. 11 December 2019.
  7. "Celebrating a graceful dance form". The Hindu. 15 March 2012.
  8. "Welcome to Embassy of India, Berlin(Germany)". indianembassyberlin.gov.in.
  9. "Devadasi Award for Jayaprabha Menon". 8 October 2013.
  10. "Music and dance reviews".
  11. "Jayaprabha Menon | Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT)".