Alarmel Valli is a leading Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer, acclaimed internationally for her ability to turn a traditional grammar into a subtle, deeply internalized, personal dance poetry. Her dance has been described as “uncompromisingly classical, but, at the same time, an undeniable language of self-expression".
Background
Alarmel Valli was born on 14th of September, 1956 and brought up in Chennai. She has trained in the Pandanallur style of Bharat Natyam under Pandanallur Chokkalingam Pillai and his son Subbaraya Pillai. She has also studied music forms like Padams and Javalis under eminent musician T. Muktha, of the Veena Dhanammal style of music for many years. She also learnt abhinaya from Kalanidhi Narayan.
Career
Alarmel Valli bases her dance on the principle that Bharatanatyam is a superbly evocative language, where the dancer who has mastered and internalised the idiom can write her personal dance poetry. In her choreography, drawing on her knowledge of music and the rich, nuanced vocabulary of classical Indian dance, Valli explores the complex layers of meaning in poems and lyrics, giving them a visual and melodic dimension. Collaborated with musicians like Prema Ramamoorthy, S.Rajeshwari( Madras), Latha Ramchand, Savita Narasimhan, T.K Ramakrishna, Lalgudi Ganesh, Pandanallur Srinivasan.