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Legendary Dancers of the Pandanallur Tradition
These are the leading dancers in the Pandanallur
tradition.
Thangachi Ammal
Very little is known about this great Lady from the ancestral
dance caste, a deva dasi,
who was known as the best early dancer to have been trained by Minakshisundaram
Pillai. She is said to have done most
of her performing before the 1930s.
Pandanallur Jayalakshmi
If there is one dancer who captured all the majesty of the Pandanallur style, then it is Pandanallur
Jayalakshmi.
This great dancer from the ancestral dance caste was a disciple of Minakshisundaram Pillai and was
by far the most talented of all the dancers he taught. She had a glorious career as a professional
dancer and to this day her name remains synonymous with the word Pandanallur. She was
famous for her dazzling technique and even more renowned for the great pathos
and understatement of her abinaya. Subbaraya Pillai watched her being taught by Minakshisundaram
Pillai during his apprenticeship and accompanied her
in performance during his youth.
Mambalam Geetha
After Minakshisundaram Pillai, it was his son-in-law Chokalingam
Pillai who became the next doyen of the Pandanallur style and his best student was Mambalam Geetha. This great dancer
maintained the purity of the Pandanallur style. She was known for her brilliant technique as
well as her great portrayals of the dramatic roles in the Tanjore
Quartet varnams.
She is said to have performed actively in the 50s and 60s.
Alarmel Valli
Alarmel Valli
was the leading exponent of the Pandanallur style
during the first part of her career, from the late 60s to the early 80s, when
she danced under Subbaraya Pillai's
nattuvangam direction. After that she began to perform her own
choreography. She
trained under Chokkalingam Pillai
until he stopped teaching in 1966 and thereafter trained under Subbaraya
Pillai. She is
renowned for the perfection of her dance.
Leena Sulochana
Leena Sulochana has best maintained both the purity and brilliance of the Pandanallur style: having never gone to any other nattuvanar, she has kept intact the great pandanallur choreography as well as the clear technique. She performed actively in the 70s and 80s In Subbaraya Pillai's estimation, this dancer from Kerala is among his most gifted students and he speaks with admiration of the grandeur of her abinaya, especially in the varnam "Mogamana". She performed actively in the 80s.