HINDUSTANI

CARNATIC

Born into a family with a long lineage of traditional performing arts, it was natural for Vijayalakshmi to take to the classical arts. She was initiated into dance at an early age and was gradually drawn towards Mohiniyattam, the cause her mother and Guru Bharati Shivaji has come to become synonymous with. It is this artistic legacy, a commitment to the cause of Mohiniyattam, that Vijayalakshmi has imbibed.

From an early age, Vijayalakshmi has had the opportunity to perform in several prestigious national and international festivals, propagating this exquisite and rare dance form around the globe for over 20 years. Some of the prestigious national dance festivals where she has performed include the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Festivals, Konark and Khajuraho Festivals, as well as the Krishna Gana Sabha and the Music Academy, Chennai. International Festivals include the Edinburgh International Festival, the International Cervantino Festival in Mexico, and a number of Festivals of India around the globe. She has also been regularly performing for Spic-Macay, presenting Lecture-demonstrations on Mohiniyattam in schools and colleges all over India.

Vijayalakshmi is the recipient of several prestigious honors and awards, including the Sanskriti Nritya Puraskar and Rashtriya Ekta Award. She has co-authored a book along with Guru Bharati Shivaji entitled ’Mohiniyattam’, and has received Fellowships from the Department Of Culture, Government of India, and Indira Gandhi National Centre for The Arts (IGNCA) to pursue research in Mohiniyattam. In 2003, Vijayalakshmi was profiled by the Week magazine as one of 50 Emerging Stars of India to watch over the next decade.

centreformohiniyattam@gmail.com

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