Krishnaveni Laxman

🪔 About

Krishnaveni Laxman, also known as Krishnaveni Lakshmanan, was a highly acclaimed Indian classical dancer primarily associated with Bharatanatyam. Born in Palani, her family relocated to Madras (now Chennai) in 1945 when she was three years old. Her journey in dance commenced at the tender age of five, and she formally joined the prestigious Kalakshetra in 1950 at the age of eight. Krishnaveni Laxman was a direct disciple of the legendary Rukmini Devi Arundale, and also received training from esteemed gurus such as S. Sarada, Sarada Hoffman, and N.S. Jayalakshmi at Kalakshetra. [2, 3] Her illustrious career spanned five decades of association with Kalakshetra, where she became a star performer in numerous dance dramas. She famously portrayed lead roles including Sita in the six-part 'Ramayanam', Usha in 'Usha Parinayam', Andal in 'Andal Charithram', Radha in 'Gita Govindam', Rukmini in 'Rukmini Kalyanam', and Vasantavalli in 'Kutrala Kuravanji'. Many of these iconic characters were choreographed specifically for her by Rukmini Devi. [2] Beyond her performing career, Krishnaveni Laxman served as the Principal of the Kalakshetra Foundation from 1997 to 2000, retiring at the age of 58. [2, 3] She also founded her own performing group, 'Krishnanjali', with which she choreographed 20 dance dramas, including 'Bhakta Jayadeva'. [2, 6] A holder of a B.A. in music, Krishnaveni Laxman passed away on August 29, 2004, in Chennai at the age of 62 due to cancer. [2] Awards & Honours: UNESCO medal, Sangeet Natak Akademi award, Kalaimamani, Nrithya Choodamani, Rukmini Devi medal (2003).