T.
Balasaraswati, who passed away on 9 February 1984, was
a celebrated Indian dancer, and
singer in the Karnatak (South Indian) tradition, who was one
of the 20th century’s foremost exponents of the bharata natyam style of classical dance.
She was instrumental not only in expanding the performance of this dance form
beyond the precincts of the temples where it was traditionally performed but
also in cultivating international appreciation of the art form.
For her
contributions to Indian arts and culture, Balasaraswati received a Sangeet Natak Akademi (India’s
national academy of music, dance, and drama) award in 1955 and the Padma Vibhushan, one
of the country’s top civilian honours, in 1977. Although she danced extensively
throughout her life, she was seldom filmed. In 1976, however, the acclaimed
Indian film director Satyajit Ray made a short documentary, Bala, as a tribute to her artistic achievement. In 2006 Aniruddha
Knight, Balasaraswati’s grandson, also produced a short documentary.
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