Vimala Menon: Difference between revisions

Vimala has taught about 5000 students and still continues her successful teaching career of 50 years. Vimala has brought forward many innovative ideas about the forms and styles of [[Mohiniyattam]]. Vimala has her name in [[Guinness Book of Records]] for training and putting on a show of [[Mohiniyattam]] consisting of 1200 dancers. Vimala is also a recipient of the [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi]] Award in 1991 and the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award|Kendra Sangeeta Nataka Akademi Award]] in 2006 for her contribution to [[Indian classical dance]].<ref name=hindu_feb07>{{cite news|title=Sangeet Natak Akademi awards|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/02/02/stories/2007020201910500.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203113632/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/02/02/stories/2007020201910500.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 February 2007|access-date=11 February 2012|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=2 February 2007}}</ref>

Vimala was born into an affluent family in a village in [[Irinjalakuda]], [[Thrissur district]]. She is the second of seven children born to S. K. Krishnan Nair, a civil engineer, and Vishalakshy Amma.<ref name=hindu_jun11>{{cite news|title='My students are my wealth'|url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/dance/article2131700.ece|access-date=11 February 2012|newspaper=The Hindu|date=24 June 2011}}</ref> Vimala learned her initial dance lessons from Thripunithura Vijaya Bhanu. She also had her training in [[Carnatic music]] under M. R. Madhusudhana Menon. After completing her school education, she joined [[Kerala Kalamandalam]] for a four-year diploma course in dance in 1960.<ref name=mathrubhumi_dec11>{{cite news|title=Ammathanal|language=ml|newspaper=[[Mathrubhumi]]|date=1 December 2011}}</ref> At Kalamandalam, she had training in [[Mohiniyattam]] under the tutelage of Pazhayannoor Chinnammu Amma and [[Kalamandalam Satyabhama]]. She also studied [[Bharata Natyam]] under Thanjavoor Bhaskara Rao.