Meenakshi Srinivasan

Meenakshi Srinivasan
Born	(1971-06-11)11 June 1971 Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Nationality	Indian
Occupation(s)	Dancer, Architect
Website	http://www.meenakshisrinivasan.com

External videos
Srinivasan Bharatanatyam performance in Thiruvananthapuram, Asianetnews, 2 Oct 2017
Soorya Festival 2016 : Meenakshi Srinivasan's Bharatanatyam, Asianetnews, 5 Oct 2016
Meenakshi Srinivasan Bharatantyam, Divinity Series, 31 January 2014

Meenakshi Srinivasan (born 11 June 1971) is an Indian classical dancer and choreographer, and an exponent of the Pandanallur style of Bharatnatyam.^[1] She trained under Alarmel Valli and is considered among the most promising soloists of the younger generation of dancers in this traditional style.^[2]

She has performed at the annual international dance festival of the Madras Music Academy, the SIFAS Festival of Indian Classical Music and Dance in Singapore, and the Musee Guimet in Paris, among many others. She received the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar from Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2011.

In addition Srinivasan is a professional architect and runs a boutique architectural practice called Calm Studio in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.^[1]

Early life and training

Born on 11 June 1971, in Chennai,^[3] Srinivasan received her training in Bharatanatyam first under Venkatachalapathy of Kalakshetra then later under Alarmel Valli.^[2][4]

Career and notable performances

She has been featured at important sabhās in South India, such as the Madras Music Academy,^[2] Brahma Gana Sabha,^[5] Krishna Gana Sabha.^[6] and the Margazhi Festival.^[7]

She has performed in dance festivals in other parts of the country including Bangalore Habba,^[5] the Nadam Festival,^[3] the Parikrama Festival,^[8] the Shilparaman Dance Festival,^[5] Dover Lane Music Conference in Kolkata,^[5] Devdasi Festival,^[3] the Surya Festival,^[9] the Swaralaya Festival^[10] and the Nishagandhi Festival.^[5]

Internationally she has performed in the SIFAS Festival Of Indian Classical Music & Dance at the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay in Singapore,^[11][12] the Singapore Repertory Theatre in Singapore;^[13] Ramli Ibrahim's Sutra Dance Theatre in Malaysia,^[13] the Gait to the Spirit festival in Vancouver, Canada,^[14][15][16] the Young Masters Festival in London, England,^[16] and the Musee Guimet in Paris, France.^[17] She has also performed in Holland and Belgium.^[18]

Awards

She has received several honours in appreciation of her work. She has been acclaimed for her energy and inner power and the "measured brilliance" of her "nritta (pure dance), nritya (expressive dance) and natya (drama)"^[11] She has been conferred the titles Natya Kala Vipanchee (2007), Natya Kala Dharshini (2012) and Nrtya Abhinaya Sundaram.^[19]

Srinivasan was awarded the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar of Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama, in 2011 for her notable talent in the field of Bharatanatyam.^[20][3]

References

1. Menon, Anasuya (21 July 2013). "Seamless Grace". The Hindu. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
2. Sai, Veejay (8 January 2017). "Meet the next gen Indian artistes keeping Bharatnatyam alive and flourishing". The News Minute. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
3. "Meenakshi Srinivasan". Sangeet Natak Akademi. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
4. Seshan, A. (29 October 2009). "Meenakshi's magnificent Margam". Narthaki: Your gateway to the world of Indian Dance. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
5. "Performances - 2000-2012". Meenakshi Srinivasan. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
6. "Upcoming Performances". Meenakshi Srinivasan. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
7. Saranyan, Vidya (1 January 2015). "Focus on the Feminine". The Hindu. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
8. Kantawala, Zainab (27 October 2017). "A celebration of dance". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
9. "111-day Surya festival begins today". The Times of India. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
10. Ajayan, T. R. (1 October 2013). "Swaralaya Festival of Music and Dance; Kerala". KutcheriBuzz. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
11. Alurkar-Sriram, Sarita (25 March 2016). "Brilliant all the way". Tabla. p. 17. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
12. "A fine-arts showcase, Indian style". Today. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
13. "Meenakshi Srinivasan". Shruti: India's Premier Magazine for the Performing Arts. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
14. "Gait To The Spirit Celebrates Classical Dance Of India". The Link. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
15. Smith, Janet (29 October 2014). "Gait to the Spirit festival brings in the best of bharata natyam". Straight. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
16. THE 11th Dance Festival MUSIC ACADEMY MADRAS (PDF). Chennai: MUSIC ACADEMY MADRAS. 2017. p. 46. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
17. "Meenakshi Srinivasan à Guimet". Inde à Paris. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
18. "Bharata Natyam dancer Meenakshi Srinivasan on tour in The Netherlands and Belgium". Tonal Ties. 1 February 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
19. "Meenakshi Srinivasan". THARANG UTSAV. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
20. Sinha, Meenakshi (4 October 2013). "Meenakshi Srinivasan: The values that come with learning a classical art are precious". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 July 2019.