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Chandralekha is one of the most important voices on the
Indian cultural scene today. Her writings, books, prints and choreography
have attained an unprecedented status in India and abroad. Most
recently, Chandralekha has been expressing her aesthetic and political
vision through dance-making. At once conscious of the deep history
of the traditions she employs—Yoga, Bharata Natyam and Kalaripayattu
(an Indian martial art)—and the need to address contemporary issues,
Chandralekha establishes a bold new paradigm for the contemporary
Indian artist.
Chandralekha began her career as an outstanding traditional dancer,
having received training from the renowned Guru Kanchipuram Elappa
Pillai. In the sixties, she gave up performing, questioning its
function, its structure, its principles and its concepts. At this
time, Chandralekha chose to become a writer, working on poster
and book designs and multi-media projects. She also became extensively
involved with the women's and human rights movements.
In 1985, Chandralekha returned to the dance world as a choreographer.
She sought to redefine the boundaries of classical Indian dance,
at the same time accepting no boundaries to her own creativity.
Chandralekha works towards the essential unity between Indian
physical traditions, thus exploring marital arts forms like Asanas
and Kalaripayattu, therapeutic forms like Yoga and classical Bharata
Natyam. The result is a series of profoundly innovative choreo-graphic
works such as Angika (exploring related disciplines of dance and
other physical disciplines in India), Lilavati (based on Bhaskaracharya's
tenth century text of mathematical riddles), Prana (based on movement
of breath and planets and relatedness of Yoga and dance), Sri
(based on concepts of empowerment and enslavement of women), Bhima
Pravaha (an international workshop production in 1993), Interim
(a special collaboration-event with American visual artists sponsored
by Brooklyn Academy of Music), Yantra (conceived for and dedicated
to Pina Bausch during her India tour in 1994) and Mahakal (on
non-linear concepts of time in 1996).
Chandralekha has won international acclaim, most recently the
Gaia Award in 1992 from Italy, and the Time Out Dance Umbrella
Award in 1992 from London for Best Production of the Year.
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