Draft:Mahalakshmi Ashwin

Mahalakshmi Ashwin

Mahalakshmi Ashwin

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Mahalakshmi Ashwin (Born 6th August 1977) is a Bharatanatyam performer, choreographer and guru. She is a postgraduate alumna of the Kalakshetra Foundation, where she was trained under Smt. Krishnaveni Lakshmanan, Smt. Ambica Buch, and Shri Janardhanan.

Early Life and Education

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Mahalakshmi Ashwin started learning bharatanatyam at the age of five and was initiated by Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale. Kalakshetra[1], as a school and style of dance had a big influence on her career. She went on to study Graduate Diploma and Post Graduate Diploma in Fine Arts in the same institution. As a student, she participated and performed in many of Kalakshetra's iconic dance productions.

In addition to her Bharatanatyam training, Mahalakshmi is also a trained Carnatic vocalist, having studied under Smt. Balasaraswathi at Kalakshetra.

Career and Contributions

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Mahalakshmi Ashwin is heads of TAPAS Academy, the educational wing of the TAPAS Cultural Foundation. She is also a trustee of the TAPAS Cultural Foundation and plays an active role in its award committee, which honor exceptional contributions to art and devotion: Vidhya Tapasvi[2][3][4] (awarded annually) Bhakthi Prachara Samman (awarded on special occasions).

As a choreographer, Mahalakshmi Ashwin is generally known for her innovation in classical dance dramas. She has directed productions that present a balanced combination of Dance (Natyam) Music (Sangeetham) and Drama (Roopakam), including, ‘Kannan Thiruvilayadal’[5], ‘Lava Kusa’[6][7], ‘Prahlada[8][9]’, ‘Vittala Darshana’ and ‘Murugu - Muruganum Thamizhum’.

This besides, she has also directed group dance presentations such as ‘Utsava Prabhandham’, depicting the 10 day long procession of Sri Padmanabha Swami. She set music to dance, choreographed and produced a video series of ‘Thiruvempavai’ on Lord Shiva for a webcasting channel and did the same on ‘Tiruppavai’ in collaboration with SVBC TV of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam.

She is also the producer of a theatrical play on the life and times of Ramana Maharshi, called, ‘MAHARSHI - Journey of a Sage’. This hugely successful theatre production was directed by the famous playwright Bombay Chanakya[10]. She was involved in as a producer and also performed in two group productions, ‘Sharanam Vraja[11] and ‘Rama Rajya Mahotsavam’. Both these dance productions were a collaborative effort of several leading classical artists, and produced by Mahalakshmi Ashwin.

She is the curator of the annual TAPAS Natyotsava[12] that takes place in Chennai every year.

Recognitions and Awards

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Mahalakshmi Ashwin was awarded the National Scholarship for Fine Arts by the Ministry of Human Resources, Government of India in her student days. She has several titles, awards to her credit both including Nrithyotama, Mayura Natuvamani, Nrithyathi, Natya Sudar, Lifetime Achievement Award from Bala Natya Manjari Trust, Rotary Lifetime Achievement Award and Rotary Excellence Award.

References

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  1. ^ Vishwanath, Narayana (2017-03-25). "Of art and music: Understanding Natyadharmi, a form of stylistic dance". www.deccanchronicle.com. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  2. ^ Service, Express News (2014-12-27). "Vidhya Tapasvi Awards Given Away". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  3. ^ Service, Express News (2013-01-19). "TAPAS awards to eminent artistes". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  4. ^ Sruti Foundation (April 26, 2018). "Indra Kadambi receives Vidhya Tapasvi Title".
  5. ^ "Collage of art forms". The Hindu. 2011-10-13. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  6. ^ Vishwanath, Narayana (2013-01-21). "Tales of Lava-Kusa with grace". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  7. ^ "Review - Bharatanatyam dance drama Lava Kusa - Balayogi". narthaki.com. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  8. ^ "Prahalada on stage". The Hindu. 2015-04-30. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  9. ^ Service, Express News (2015-05-05). "Mythical Tales From Long Ago". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  10. ^ Venkatraman, Deepa (2018-05-31). ""I am proud of my team"". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  11. ^ Vishwanath, Narayana (2016-03-26). "9 Diverse Forms to Practice Devotion". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  12. ^ TAPAS Natyotsava 2024 Schedule