Sheejith Krishna

🪔 About

Sheejith Krishna is a renowned Indian classical dancer, choreographer, and nattuvanar, primarily known for his contributions to Bharatanatyam. Born on May 29, 1973, in Puthiyaparabu village, Kerala, he was initiated into dance at the age of eight by his parents, Kannur Balakrishnan (Bharatanatyam and Folk dance artiste) and Manorama Balakrishnan (Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam artiste). He received his initial training from them before pursuing higher education at the world-renowned Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai, India. At Kalakshetra, Sheejith Krishna underwent rigorous training in Bharatanatyam, mridangam, and Carnatic vocal music, learning from stalwarts such as Sarada Hoffman, Vikku Vinayakaram, S. Rajaram, Kalamandalam Ramakrishnan, T.H. Vinayakaram, and Salem Chellam Iyengar. He obtained his post-graduate diploma in Bharatanatyam from Kalakshetra in 1995 and subsequently served as a faculty member and lead dancer with the Kalakshetra Repertory until 2010. Throughout his career at Kalakshetra, he starred in several landmark productions, including Rukmini Devi Arundale's celebrated six-part Ramayana series, where he notably portrayed roles like Rama and Ravana. He also began his choreographic journey, directing innovative works for the Kalakshetra Repertory, such as "Masquerade" (2007), a Bharatanatyam adaptation of Alexandre Dumas's "Man in the Iron Mask." His choreography has been incorporated into the Kalakshetra syllabus. In 2011, Sheejith Krishna launched the Sahrdaya Foundation in Chennai, focusing on education, performance, and community outreach in classical and contemporary arts. As an independent artist, he has choreographed numerous solo and ensemble works, including "Krishna Bharatam" (2009), "Parinaamam" (2010), "Pravaha" (2013), "Yathadarshe Tathaatmani" (2014), and a Bharatanatyam adaptation of "Don Quixote" (2015), which received a national production grant from the Government of India's Ministry of Culture and toured extensively. He also choreographed the Bharatanatyam sequences for Ang Lee's Academy Award-winning film, "Life of Pi" (2010-2011). Sheejith Krishna has received several prestigious awards for his contributions to Indian classical dance. However, in April 2024, he was arrested by the Chennai Police on charges of sexual assault based on complaints from two former students of Kalakshetra, alleging abuse between 1995 and 2007. He was subsequently granted bail by the Madras High Court in June 2024. Awards & Honours: Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar (2007), Yagnaraman Award for Excellence in Dance (2010), Ram Gopal Award for Best Male Dancer (AttenDANCE) (2015), Yuva Kala Bharati (2002), Senior Dancer Award (2006), Kalapratibha.