Mungara Yamini Krishnamurthy (20 December 1940 – 3 August 2024) was an Indian classical dancer recognized for her contributions to

Bharatanatyam ''Bharatanatyam'' is a Indian classical dance form that came from Tamil Nadu, India. It is a classical dance form recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas of Hinduism and Jainism.< ...

and Kuchipudi. She was a recipient of the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

(1968),

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

(2001),

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ( , lit. "Lotus Grandeur") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons w ...

(2016) and

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IAST: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...

(1977).

Early life

Krishnamurthy was born on 20 December 1940 in

Madanapalli Madanapalle is a city in Annamayya district and Rajampet Lok Sabha constituency of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a Selection Grade Municipality and largest City in Annamayya District. Madanapalle is headquarters of Madanapalle Man ...

, in the present-day Chittoor district, of the Indian state of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

. Her father, M. Krishnamurthy, was a Sanskrit scholar. She began her dance training at the age of five at the Kalakshetra School of Dance in

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

(present-day Chennai), under the guidance of Bharatanatyam danseuse Rukmini Devi Arundale. After mastering the basic skills, she went on to study under renowned dancers such as Kanchipuram Ellappa Pillai and Thanjavur Kittappa Pillai. Krishnamurthy would, in later interviews credit her growing up in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

and the local cultural environment, including the Thillai Nataraja Temple in

Chidambaram Chidambaram is a major town and municipality in Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on the banks of the Vellar River where it meets the Bay of Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Chidambaram taluk. The town is believed to b ...

as inspirations for her art.

Career

Krishnamurthy started her dance career with a

performance in Madras in 1957. Some of her ''Gurus'' during this period included

Kanchipuram Kanchipuram (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: '; ), also known as Kanjeevaram, is a stand alone city corporation, satellite nodal city of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from ...

Ellappa Pillai, Kittappa Pillai, Dhandayuthapani Pillai, and Mylapore Gowri Ammal. Though she started with Bharatnatyam, Krishnamurthy expanded her skills to include Kuchipudi and

Odissi ''Odissi'' (''ଓଡ଼ିଶୀ'') also referred to as ''Orissi'' in old literature, oldest surviving classical dance of India, is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the Hindu temple, temples of Odisha – an eastern ...

dance forms. She is noted to have popularized these dance forms in North India in the 1960s when she relocated to Delhi. After one of her performances in the national capital, the visiting Canadian prime minister

Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...

is noted to have gone to the stage, held her hands and remarked, "Keep dancing. Don't stop. Just keep dancing". In addition to the country, her performances took her to other countries, including the US, the UK, the then USSR, Thailand, Iran and Pakistan. In recognition of her contributions, she was appointed as the ''Asthana Nartaki'' () of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam. She set up her dance training institute, Yamini School of Dance, in Hauz Khas in New Delhi. Krishnamurthy was a recipient of the

(1968),

(2001), and

(2016) and the

(1977). She also received the ''Natya Shastra'' award from the Shambhavi School of Dance in 2014. Krishnamurthy published her autobiography, ''A Passion for Dance'', in 1995.

Death

Krishnamurthy died on 3 August 2024 in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, at the age of 83.

References

External links

1940 births 2024 deaths Indian female classical dancers Dancers from Andhra Pradesh Kuchipudi exponents Telugu people People from Chittoor district Bharatanatyam exponents Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in arts Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts 20th-century Indian dancers 20th-century Indian women artists Women artists from Andhra Pradesh {{authority control