Priyadarshini Govind

Priyadarshini Govind is one of the foremost Bharatanatyam dancers of India, being trained by two stalwarts of the tradition Kalaimamani S K Rajarathnam Pillai and Padma Bhushan Smt. Kalanidhi Naryanan. With a natural aptitude for abhinaya she has particularly become a flagbearer for the latter’s padam repertoire, and her nritta or pure dance is intense and vigorous. Known for an adherence to tradition with which she seamlessly blends new choreography, she has gently redefined the boundaries of the Bharatanatyam repertoire.

Priyadarsini has performed in prestigious venues across the country and the world, taking Bharatanatyam to major international and national festivals as a soloist. She has, further, collaborated with several leading Indian and international artists like Leela Samson, Umayalpuram Sivaraman, Bombay Jayashree, T M Krishna, Aruna Sairam, Gowri Ramnarayan and Elisabet Petit. For her achievements, she has been honoured with prestigious awards, which include the Nritya Kalanidhi by the Madras Music Academy (2019), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2012), Yuva Kala Bharathi, Kalaimamani and Nrityachoodamani.

Serving as the Director of the renowned Kalakshetra Foundation between 2013 and 2017, Priyadarshini has been keenly involved with teaching and pedagogical efforts. These comprise a recent project to create a set of instructional DVDs for Bharatanatyam, conceptualised and created for Kalakriya; conceptualising and producing Yavanika, a first of its kind film; being the Founder-Director of NavaDarshana, an initiative that teaches dancers to view dance holistically; and formulating a structured way of learning abhinaya called Learning Ladder, that is currently being broadcast on Kalakendra.

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