Nandini’s tryst with Bharatanatyam began at the age of 7, under the able guidance of her first Guru, Smt. Subbulakshmi Ganesh. Her twinkling eyes and playful nature allowed her to thoroughly enjoy and flourish as Little Krishna. As she grew, her love for the art form only deepened, and she began expressing her desire to seriously pursue her passion.
her journey.(Padma Shri & Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee)
Smt. Kanaka Srinivasan is one of the leading proponents of Bharatanatyam, the classical dance form. Having mastered both Nritta (pure dance) as well as Abhinaya (storytelling through expressions and mime) aspects of this dance form, she is one of the foremost proponents of the Vazhuvoor School of Bharatanatyam, having imbibed the art directly from the legendary Guru, Vazhuvoor Shri B. Ramaiah Pillai. She has encouraged her disciples as would be seen by their participation with their Guru in dance tours to the erstwhile Soviet Union, South East Asia and Latin America. Her disciples’ successful performances in prestigious dance festivals at Khajuraho and Mamallapuram testify to their Guru’s exacting and devoted training.
Smt. Kanaka Srinivasan has received the title of ‘Best Guru’ awarded by the famed Music Academy, Chennai.
She is also an outstanding choreographer and has won the ‘Swarnakalasam’ at the Kalidasa Samaroh in Ujjain for the dance dramas, ‘Malavikagnimitram’ and ‘Kumarasambhavam’. She has received the coveted Sangeet Natak Akademi award for Bharatanatyam in 1998.
Smt. Kanaka Srinivasan has also been conferred the title of ‘Nrityachoodamani’ by the Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai. She has been honoured with the Sahitya Kala Parishad Award in 1996 and is the first dancer to be honoured with the L.N. Gupta Memorial Award.
For her immense contribution to Bharatanatyam, Smt. Kanaka Srinivasan has been conferred with the title of Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour in the country.
Awards achieved gracefully
