Pallavi Krishnan
Pallavi Krishnan, a leading exponent of Mohiniyattam in the national and international performance circuit, is acclaimed for her versatility as a performer, choreographer, and trainer. Initially, Pallavi earned her training in Kathakali and Mohiniyattam under Guru Kalamandalam Sankaranarayanan at Santiniketan. Her passion for Mohiniyattam led her to Kerala Kalamandalam for advanced training, making her the first Bengali to learn Mohiniyattam from this pioneering institution. Subsequently, she earned an M.A. in Mohiniyattam from Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University.
Pallavi was honoured with the prestigious Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Mohiniyattam (2023). She is also a recipient of the Kerala Kalamandalam Award (2020) and Kerala State’s Sangeeta Nataka Akademi Award (2008) for her contributions to Mohiniyattam, making her the first and, so far, the sole Bengali woman to earn these coveted honours.
This fulfilled the long-awaited dreams of the late poet laureates Tagore and Vallathol, who always wanted a cultural exchange between these two prestigious art academies in the country. She is the only Indian dancer to be an alumna of Santiniketan (Viswa Bharati University) and Kerala Kalamandalam. Since 1992, she has been living in Kerala, the land of her art form, and has dedicated her life to Mohiniyattam. She has also been trained under Guru Bharati Shivaji and Guru Kalamandalam Sughandhi. She received a scholarship (1995–1997), a junior fellowship (1998–2000), and a senior fellowship (2009–2011) from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. She is an empanelled ICCR artist and a Top-Graded artist at Doordarshan. Pallavi has performed and conducted workshops and lecture demonstrations of Mohiniyattam nationally and internationally. The venues include festivals such as Khajuraho, Konark, Ananya (Delhi), Dover-Lane (Kolkata), Mahabalipuram, various Sabhas in Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Soorya, and Nishagandhi (Kerala), to name a few.
Her overseas assignments include performances in the United States, the U.K., Australia, Canada, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, China, Mauritius, and the Gulf regions. She was also the Cultural Ambassador designated by the ICCR and Indian High Commission, Dhaka, to disseminate Mohiniyattam in Bangladesh. Her recent prestigious assignments include performances for the World Hindi Conference in Fiji (Feb-2023) under the aegis of the ICCR and at the Lakshadweep Islands before the Hon.President of India during Her Excellency’s visit in March 2023.
As an artist, Pallavi has developed a style marked by creativity in her performance. She is equally at ease, exhibiting both technique and abhinaya. Her choreographies include both solo and group, traditional and thematic. Veteran critics abroad, such as Alastair Macaulay, the chief dance critic of The New York Times, gave praiseworthy reviews more than once for her Mohiniyattam performances in global festivals in the U.S. During the early 1990s, the late critic Subbdu spotted her as the most talented Mohiniyattam dancer of the coming years in his reviews of her performances in New Delhi. Renowned Indian dance critics such as the late Sunil Kothari (a Padma Shri recipient), Smt. Leela Venkataraman, and Smt. Manjari Sinha highly credited her performances. Since 1994, she has been the Artistic Director of Lasya Akademi of Mohiniyattam, a promotion and professional training centre in Mohiniyattam, Thrissur, Kerala. Her uncompromising teaching attracts students to Lasya Akademi from all over the world.
Academic Qualifications
- BSc. in BioScience from Burdwan University of West Bengal.
- Trained in Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam under Guru Kalamadalam Sankaranarayanan.
- B.Mus. in dance (Kathakali) from Santiniketan (ViswaBharati University).
- Two years of intensive training in Mohiniyattam at Kerala Kalamandalam.
- Advanced training in Mohiniyattam under Guru Bharati Shivaji and Guru Kalamandalam Sugandhi.
- M.A. in Mohiniyattam from Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University, Kerala.
Awards
- Recipient of the central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Mohiniyattam in the year 2023
- Sushree Award from Vichar-March, Kolkata, for the most outstanding talent in Indian classical dance.
- National scholarship from the Government of India for higher studies in Mohiniyattam.
- Junior fellowship from the Government of India, Department of Culture, to compose and choreograph new dance pieces using traditional Kerala music (Sopana Sangeetham).
- Senior fellowship from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, for research on Jayadev’s Geeta Govinda and its adaptability for the Lasya elements of Mohiniyattam, and to choreograph a set of Ashtapadies in Mohiniyattam.
- Kerala State Sangeeta Nataka Akademi Award of 2008 for Mohiniyattam.
- Kerala Kalamandalam Award 2020
Significant Performances:
National
- Khajuraho Festival, Dept. of Tourism, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh
- Konark Festival, Govt. of Orissa
- Performed in Lakshadweep Islands, before the Honourable President of India, Smt.Draupadi Murmu, during her excellency's visit.
- Kalakshetra Dance Festival, Chennai
- Ananya Festival, New Delhi
- Soorya Festival, Thiruvananthapuram
- Nishagandhi Festival, Dept. of Tourism, Govt. of Kerala
- Mamallapuram Festival, Govt. of Tamil Nadu
- Doverlane Music and Dance Conference, Kolkata
- Natya Kala Conference at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha,Chennai
- Various Sabhas in Chennai (Music Academy, Krishna Gana Sabha, Brahma Gana Sabha, Kartik Fine Arts, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavans, Bharat Kalachar)
- Natyanjali Festival at Chidhambharam Siva Temple, Tamil Nadu
- Bhagya Chandra Festival, Manipur
- Deccan Festival at Hyderabad, Dept. of Culture, Andhra Pradesh
- Mudra Festival of the Dept. of Culture, Govt. Of Kerala
- National Festival of Dance on the occasion of the inauguration of the year-long Platinum Jubilee celebration of the Kerala Kalamandalam
- Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata
- Santiniketan, West Bengal
- National Dance Festival of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi at New Delhi, Goa, Kolkata, and Manipur
- World Women's Day Celebration, Smitalay (Smita Patel Memorial Trust), Mumbai
- Rabindra Nrityotsav of Impressario India Delhi to celebrate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore
- Mohiniyattam Collective Dance Festival, New Delhi
- Malabar Mahotsav, Dept. Of Tourism, Govt. Of Kerala
International
- Performed at the 12th World Hindi Conference in Fiji under the aegis of The ICCR.
- Performed in various States in the US (Los Angeles, California, Boston, Chicago, Washington, Houston, Portland, and Seattle).
- Performed in the UK for the Festival of India as part of the India-UK Year of Culture 2017, celebrating 70 years of Indian Independence.
- Workshop and Performance in California, U.S., organised by Mohini Studio
- Conducted a workshop and performed in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S., organised by the Sanghamithra Foundation.
- Conducted a workshop and performance in Austin, Texas, U.S., organised by 'Tat Tvam Asi'.
- Erasing Borders Festival in New York, U.S., organised by IAAC (Indo-American Arts Council)
- Performances in Mauritius under the auspices of the ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations).
- Kerala Festival, Qatar
- Performed and Conducted workshops in - Europe | UK - Nehru Centre, London | UK - Rose Bruford College,London | Austria -UN Centre, Vienna | Poland-Warsaw | Switzerland- Art India, Bern
- Macau International Arts Festival.
- Deputation to Bangladesh as Cultural Ambassador under the aegis of the Indian High Commission, Dhaka, and the ICCR to popularise the art of Mohiniyattam by giving short-term intensive residencies and performances.
- Toronto International Dance Festival, Performance, and Residency.
- Performed at various locations in Canada, including Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto, under the aegis of the ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations).
- Woodford Festival, Australia.
Contact
Pallavi Krishnan
Artistic Director,
Lasya Akademi of Mohiniyattam,
Charulata, 16th Street,
Hari Nagar, Punkunnam,
Thrissur – 680 002.
Email: pallavikrishnan19@gmail.com & lasyanritta@gmail.com
Official website: www.pallavikrishnan.com
Mobile: +91 9447181584, +91 6282255922