Maalika Girish Panicker

🪔 About

Maalika Girish Panicker is a renowned Indian classical dancer, guru, and choreographer, primarily known for her expertise in Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam. Born as Girish Panicker, she began her dance training at the tender age of seven in Kerala and at the prestigious Kalakshetra in Chennai. She initially established herself as a male dancer, performing in both Chennai and Bangalore dance circuits. In 1996, Maalika moved to Singapore, where she served as a Bharatanatyam tutor at the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society (SIFAS) for nearly fourteen years. During her tenure at SIFAS, she trained hundreds of dancers and conducted over 25 arangetrams. In 2009, Maalika founded her own dance institution, Aakash Ganga, in Singapore, where she teaches Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, folk, and contemporary dance. As of 2015, she was a guru to nearly 200 students at her school. Her career has seen her perform over 200 solo and group productions across Singapore, India, Malaysia, and Indonesia. She has shared the stage with distinguished dance gurus such as C.V. Chandrasekhar, Vyjayanthimala Bali, Saroja Vaidyanathan, and Lakshmi Viswanathan. Maalika is also a regular judge for dance competitions on local television in Singapore. Her choreographic works include thematic recitals like 'Sthri', 'Mohini', 'Ganges', 'Valli-Devayani Kalyanam', and 'Bharata'. Maalika's personal journey includes undergoing gender reassignment surgery in 2009, a decision that she embraced with support from her community and students' parents. She has expressed that her art was instrumental in her journey and societal acceptance. Awards & Honours: Natya Kala Vipanchee (2007), Gold awards for choreography and training.