Classical dance, the harmonious blend of Bhava (emotions), Raga (music), Tala (rhythm), and Natya (dance), is always a visual treat to the audience. India is the hub of a wide range of classical dance forms. Each state in India has its own authentic dance forms. Indian dance forms consist of Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam, Kathakali, Kathak, Odissi, etc. – the list is never-ending. The love and respect given to classical dance forms gave birth to many prominent dancers and artists in India. And Kerala is not far behind when it comes to being the birthplace of many ‘greats’. Thrissur district is known as the cultural capital of Kerala because of its cultural, spiritual, and religious practices. In this article, we will explore some classical dancers in Thrissur.
RLV Anand
RLV Anand, a native of Thrissur is one of the most well-known classical dancers in South India. He has 34 years of experience in the world of classical dance. He has trained under Smt Kalakshetra Vilasini, who has been the guru of many famous Bharatanatyam dancers in India. Anand has completed his post-diploma, BA, and MA in Bharatanatyam from RLV College, Tripunithura.
His dance academy – Yathukulam Natyagraham – has contributed many good dancers in the field of classical dance. The list even extends to celebrities. Now, he conducts online classes for his students. He has special batches of students from foreign countries such as Canada, the US, Ireland, UAE, etc.
Contact no: 9847072111
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Meera Sreenarayanan
Meera Sreenarayanan is one of the most promising Bharatanatyam dancers in the state. She began her journey as a classical dancer at the age of 12. After completing a post-graduation in Physics from the Women’s Christian College, Chennai, she pursued a Master’s Degree in Bharatanatyam from the University of Madras.
She has received many awards and achievements like the Nritya Vilasini award by Nrithyathi Kalakshetram, Bhilai, Yuvakalapuraskar, Nrityasri Puraskar, etc. She has performed in various foreign countries like Kuwait, Japan, and UAE. Meera is also a graded artist in Doordarshan and a CCRT Scholarship holder.
Kalamandalam Nayana G Nadh
Kalamandalam Nayana G Nadh is a well-trained classical dancer from Thrissur who has experience of 26 years in the field of classical dance. After 8 years of residency training in Mohiniyattam and Bharatanatyam from Kerala Kalamandalam, she did her Masters in Bharatanatyam from Sree Shankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady. She then went on to pursue MPhil in performing arts (Bharatanatyam) from Kerala Kalamandalam.
Right now she is pursuing a PhD. in Bharatanatyam from Kerala Kalamandalam. Nayana has been running her dance academy called Sanskriti School of Arts since 2012. For her, age is not a restriction for anyone to chase their dreams so she conducts special batches for housewives and working women. Due to pandemic restrictions, now she is conducting classes online.
Contact no: 7561099712, 8848549026
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Kalamandalam Husna Bhanu
Kalamandalam Husna Bhanu is one of the most famous classical dancers from Thrissur. She started learning dance at the age of 10 under Kalamandalam Kshemavathy. After completing a diploma in dance from Kerala Kalamandalam, she continued studying dance under well-known dancers such as Kalamandalam Saraswathy, Dr Vasundhara Doraswamy, and Kalamandalam Leelamma. She started her dance academy in the year 1980 named Nrithanjali. Celebrities such as Bhavana, Aparna Balamurali, Sruthy Jayan, etc. are some of Husna Bhanu’s early students. She has received many awards like Kaladharpanam award, Kerala Sangeetha Nadaka Akademi’s Guru Pooja award, Sangeetha Nadaka Akademi award, etc.
At the age of 61, she still actively teaching students and is engaged in making a better generation of dancers for tomorrow.
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Kalamandalam Smitha Jayakrishnan
Kalamandalam Smitha Jayakrishnan, currently settled in Guruvayoor, completed her 25th year of being a classical dancer. After completing her dance course from Kerala Kalamandalam, she taught students as the dance instructor in Good Shepherd School, Ooty.
Currently, she runs a dance academy in Guruvayoor named Nrithanjali Kalakshethram. Due to the pandemic, she started online classes in small batches. Which contains 7-8 students in each batch. For Smitha, perfection is the most significant thing in classical dance, So different batches with a few students make her job easy to focus on perfection.
Contact no – 9142061881, 7012811404
As I mentioned in the beginning, the number of art forms and artists in India is innumerable. The situation of the cultural capital of Kerala is also the same. Above mentioned names are only a few among the best classical dancers in Thrissur. The list is never-ending.
