YAMINI
KRISHNAMURTHY

www.artindia.net is privileged to present this page on YAMINI KRISHNAMURTHY as part of its series on outstanding artists of India.

The inimitable Yamini Krishnamurthy has been for decades a symbol of the sheer power and radiance of Indian classical dance. The sheer dynamism and charisma of Yamini Krishnamurthy's stage persona ensured her the respect and adulation of people from all walks of life ever since her debut performance in Chennai (former Madras) in 1957.

From then on she took her chosen dance styles of Bharata Natyam and Kuchipudi to all corners of India and the world. Admiring audiences recall standing in torrential rain at open-air venues to witness the performances of Yamini Krishnamurthi in her heyday.

Her initial training in Bharata Natyam took place at Rukmini Devi Arundale's Kalakshetra, at that time India's premier institution for training in this art. After acquiring an impeccable structural base at Kalakshetra, she went on to higher studies under renowned masters such as Kanchipuram Ellappa Pillai, Thanjavur Kittapa Pillai, Dhandayudhapani Pillai and Mylapore Gouri Amma.

She also trained in Kuchipudi under illustrious gurus such as Vedantam Lakshmi Narayana Shastri, Chinta Krishnamurthi and Pasumarthy Venugopal Krishna Sharma. This was a period when scholars were looking with renewed interest at the classical arts, and Yamini played a significant role in popularizing Kuchipudi which was then emerging as a solo dance form of Andhra Pradesh in southern India.