Bharatanatyam is an Indian classical dance form that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is a classical dance form recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of Shaivism and in general of Hinduism.
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.
Melattur is a panchayat town in Thanjavur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 18 kilometres from the town of Thanjavur. It is the origin of the Melattur style of Bharatanatyam founded by Mangudi Dorairaja Iyer and a series of dance-drama performances called the Bhagavatha Melas.
Alarmel Valli is an Indian classical dancer and Bharatanatyam-Pandanallur choreographer.
Harinie Jeevitha is an Indian classical dancer and choreographer. The disciple of Smt Sheela Unnikrishnan of Sridevi Nrithyalaya, she started dancing at the young age of six in the Melattur style of Bharathanatyam (Bharatanatyam).
Murugashankari Leo is a Bharatanatyam artiste and teacher, theatre actor, and research scholar. Bharatantyam is an ancient Indian classical dance form which is known for its beauty, grace and uniqueness. Murugashankari performs this art and has given many recitals across India and other countries. She runs the institution Kalai Koodam – Academy of Performing Arts in Chennai and Madurai, where training in Bharatanatyam is imparted. She is also trained in Carnatic music and Nattuvangam.
Bala Devi Chandrashekar is a Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher based in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. She was trained under Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam. Bala Devi Chandrashekar is a Professor of practice in Asian performing arts. Her approach is interdisciplinary, involving lecturing and research. Bala Devi's unique well researched productions include Nandanar Charithram, Krishnaarpnam and Uddhava Gita.
Parshwanath Upadhye is an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and teacher. He is trained in the traditional Mysore style of Bharatanatyam.
Madras Kadiravelu Saroja, known as Puliyur 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.
Indira Kadambi A brilliant performer, a sensitive, innovative and intelligent choreographer, Indira Kadambi has carved a niche for herself as one of the excellent exponents amongst her generation of Bharatanatyam artists today. Her abiding commitment, integrity and passion for the art give a sheen to her recitals.
Sreelakshmy Govardhanan, is a Kuchipudi artist from India. She is the disciple of Guru Sri Pasumarthy Rattaiaha Sarma.
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 Bharatanatyam and striving to preserve the Pandanallur tradition. A disciple of the father-son duo of Chokkalingam Pillai and Subbaraya Pillai, she is a recipient of several honours including Kalaimamani Award of the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Natya Kala Sarathi of Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2008, for her contributions to classical dance.
Krishna Praba is an Indian actress and professional dancer who chiefly appears in Malayalam films. She made her entry into the film industry with the film Madampi (2008), directed by B. Unnikrishnan. She played the character Mollykutty in Life of Josutty (2015), directed by Jeethu Joseph.
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.
The Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival is a 12-day festival of South Indian classical music and dance in Cleveland, Ohio, and is held each year around Easter weekend. The festival is a celebration in honor of Tyagaraja, the famous composer of Carnatic music, who composed thousands of devotional compositions, most in Telugu and Sanskrit language. The festival began in 1978, and has since grown to become the largest South Indian classical music and dance festival outside of India. The festival draws its audience from all over the United States, as well as from Canada and other parts of the world.
Kalaimamani Shri Guru Madurai R. Muralidaran is an acclaimed dance Guru (teacher), composer, dancer, choreographer, lyricist, playwright and director best known for his large body of modern compositions for Bharatanatyam dancers and his many elaborate dance musical productions. His works explore the complexities of Bharathanatyam theory and rhythms while remaining accessible and appealing to a modern lay audience.
Sheela Rajkumar is an Indian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer who has worked predominantly in Tamil films.
Vandhal Sridevi is an Indian Tamil language drama starring M.Meenakshisundaram as Murugan Sri Devi brother village roll nagamma son Ananya, Nandan Loganathan, Lasya Nagraj, Meera Krishna and Devi Priya. It is the remake of the Kannada language serial Lakshmi Baramma of Colors Kannada. The show replaced Enga Veetu Mapillai and aired on Colors Tamil from 18 April 2018 to 28 June 2019.
Hema Rajagopalan is a Bharatanatyam dancer, teacher and choreographer from New Delhi, India.
Sujatha Vijayaraghavan is an Indian writer, dancer, musician, musicologist and fine arts research scholar. She is affiliated with Natyarangam, the dance wing of the classical arts institution Narada Gana Sabha in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and associated with the Natya Dance Theatre, a classical Bharatanatyam company based in the city of Chicago in the United States of America. She was also associated with the pioneering Bharatanatyam dancer Kalanidhi Narayanan.
