Alarmel Valli

🪔 About

Alarmel Valli, born on September 14, 1956, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, is a celebrated Indian classical dancer, choreographer, and teacher renowned for her mastery of the Bharatanatyam-Pandanallur style. Her journey in dance began at the tender age of six and a half, leading to formal training under the legendary gurus Pandanallur Chokkalingam Pillai and his son, Pandanallur Subbaraya Pillai. Valli's arangetram (debut performance) took place at age nine, guided by Chokkalingam Pillai. Her artistic development was further enriched by studying Carnatic music with T. Muktha and later exploring Odissi under the tutelage of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and his disciple, Guru Ramani Ranjan Jena. Alarmel Valli made her international professional debut at 16 at the International Dance Festival of the Sarah Bernhardt Théâtre de la Ville in Paris in 1972, marking the beginning of an extensive global career. She is acclaimed for evolving a distinctive style that is both classical and contemporary, characterized by its fluid, poetic interpretations and deeply internalized dance poetry. Her extensive research into classical Tamil literature, particularly the 2000-year-old Sangam poetry, has significantly contributed to her repertoire of dance poems. In 1986, Valli founded The Dipasikha Dance Foundation in Chennai, an institution dedicated to imparting Bharatanatyam training to aspiring artists and preserving classical forms. Through this academy, as well as through lecture demonstrations, master classes, and workshops worldwide, she shares her profound insights into Bharatanatyam as a dynamic and evolving art form. Her contributions to Indian classical dance have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, solidifying her status as a leading figure in the art. Awards & Honours: Kalaimamani (1979), Nrithya Vikas (1980), State Artist of Tamil Nadu (1981), State Artist of Tamil Nadu (1984), Nritya Choodamani (1985), Padma Shri (1991), Grande Medaille (Medal) by the City of Paris (1997), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2001), Padma Bhushan (2004), Chevalier of Arts and Letters (2004), Naatya Padmam (2012), Natya Utsav Lifetime Achievement Award (2014), Natya Kala Acharya award (2015), Vani Kala Sudhakara (2016), MN Subramaniam Endowment Award (2015).