Yamini Krishnamurthy

Yamini Krishnamurthy (b. 1940 in Madanapalli, Andhra Pradesh, brought up in Chidambaram, Tamilnadu in a Telugu family) is an eminent Indian dancer of Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi styles of dancing. She was born on a full moon night, and her grandfather named her Yamini "Poornatilaka", which means "“a beautiful mark on the brow of light.”"

Beginning her dancing debut in 1957 in Chennai, then called Madras, Yamini had led an eventful dancing career. She has the honor of being "Asthana Nartaki" (resident dancer) of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam. Her dancing career brought her many awards, including the Padma Shree (1968) and the Padma Bhushan (2001), which are among the highest civilian awards of the Republic of India.

Quotes

“A dancer must have tremendous personality. A God like Christ and even a godman like Rajneesh had some personality. Combination of talent, dedication, creativity and being emotive is imperative. A coupling of these four qualities with technique is essential. Monotony is deterrent as it regards your style and I notice today, that new dancers perform in a startlingly similar fashion.”

“The past has been exciting, the present extremely challenging. As for the future, it holds a lot of promise and many surprises. And I cannot wait to unravel them!”

Later years

She had been performing for more than four decades, and led an eventful life. She has a leading place as an exponent of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. Presently in her mid-60s, Yamini continues to be active. She imparts dance lessons to younger dancers at her institute, Yamini School of Dance, Hauz Khas, New Delhi.

She released her autobiography, “A Passion For Dance”, a book well received by the readers. Her life remained dedicated to dance. Once she recalled: “Marriage did not happen because it was not meant to be. As for children, all my disciples are my children.”

Bharatanatyashastra, an ancient treatise on Indian dance says that dance without rhythm is like an illegitimate child. Some critics have observed that Yamini’s dancing reflects rhythm personified.

References

ee also

*Indian women in dance