Mrinalini Sarabhai

About Mrinalini Sarabhai

Who is it?: Classical Dancer and Choreographer
Birth Day: May 11, 1918
Birth Place: Kerala, Indian
Residence: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Occupation: Dancer, Choreographer Founder of Darpana Academy of Performing Arts
Spouse(s): Vikram Sarabhai
Children: Mallika Sarabhai (daughter) Kartikeya Sarabhai (son)

Mrinalini Sarabhai

Mrinalini Sarabhai was born on May 11, 1918 in Kerala, Indian, is Classical Dancer and Choreographer. Mrinalini Sarabhai was one of the best known faces of Indian classical dance. She was an expert dancer in Bharatanatyam and Kathakali, and was also a choreographer and a dance instructor. A dynamic personality she believed that new dance forms do evolve over time, but it is also important that they develop from a traditional classical foundation. A pioneer in the field of Indian classical dance, she was the first classical dancer who turned to choreography. Born to a social worker and political activist, she received her early education from Santiniketan where she realized her true calling. Determined to receive the best possible training in different dance forms, she learnt Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, and Mohiniattam from some of the most prominent dance gurus of her time. She went on to attain great fame as a dancer not only in India but also in several other countries around the world. Married to the physicist Vikram Sarabhai, she became the mother of two children, but family life did not diminish her passion for dance even a bit. Following a successful career as a dancer she turned to choreography and choreographed more than three hundred dance dramas. She was bestowed with many national and international awards for her contribution towards classical dance.
Mrinalini Sarabhai is a member of Dancers

Does Mrinalini Sarabhai Dead or Alive?

As per our current Database, Mrinalini Sarabhai has been died on 21 January 2016(2016-01-21) (aged 97)\nAhmedabad, Gujarat, India.

🎂 Mrinalini Sarabhai - Age, Bio, Faces and Birthday

When Mrinalini Sarabhai die, Mrinalini Sarabhai was 97 years old.

Popular As Mrinalini Sarabhai
Occupation Dancers
Age 97 years old
Zodiac Sign Gemini
Born May 11, 1918 (Kerala, Indian)
Birthday May 11
Town/City Kerala, Indian
Nationality Indian

🌙 Zodiac

Mrinalini Sarabhai’s zodiac sign is Gemini. According to astrologers, Gemini is expressive and quick-witted, it represents two different personalities in one and you will never be sure which one you will face. They are sociable, communicative and ready for fun, with a tendency to suddenly get serious, thoughtful and restless. They are fascinated with the world itself, extremely curious, with a constant feeling that there is not enough time to experience everything they want to see.

🌙 Chinese Zodiac Signs

Mrinalini Sarabhai was born in the Year of the Horse. Those born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Horse love to roam free. They’re energetic, self-reliant, money-wise, and they enjoy traveling, love and intimacy. They’re great at seducing, sharp-witted, impatient and sometimes seen as a drifter. Compatible with Dog or Tiger.

Some Mrinalini Sarabhai images

Awards and nominations:

Mrinalini Sarabhai has been awarded by the Indian government with the national civilian awards Padma Bhushan in 1992 and the Padma Shri in 1965. She was honoured with the Degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa (LittD) by the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK in 1997. She was also the first Indian to receive the medal and Diploma of the French Archives Internationales de la Danse. She was nominated to the Executive Committee of the International Dance Council, Paris in 1990 and awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, New Delhi in 1994. She was presented with a gold medal by the Mexican Government for her choreography for the Ballet Folklorico of Mexico.

The Darpana Academy of Performing Arts celebrated its golden jubilee on 28 December 1998, with the announcement of the annual "Mrinalini Sarabhai Award for Classical Excellence", in the field of classical dance.

She was the first recipient of the Nishagandhi Puraskaram, an annual award of the Government of Kerala. The award was presented in 2013.

Biography/Timeline

1918

Mrinalini was born in Kerala on 11 May 1918, the daughter of social worker and former parliament member Ammu Swaminathan. She spent her childhood in Switzerland, where, she received her first lessons in the Dalcroze school, a Western technique of dance movements. She was educated at Shantiniketan under the guidance of Rabindranath Tagore where she realised her true calling. She then went for a short time to the United States where she enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. On returning to India, she began her training in the south Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam under Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai and the classical dance-drama of Kathakali under the legendary Guru Thakazhi Kunchu Kurup.

1942

Mrinalini married the Indian Physicist Vikram Sarabhai who is considered to be the Father of the Indian Space Program in 1942. She has a son, Kartikeya and a daughter Mallika who too went on to attain fame in dance and theatre. Mrinalini founded Darpana in Ahmedabad in 1948. A year later, she performed at the Théâtre national de Chaillot in Paris where she received a lot of critical acclaim.

1992

Mrinalini Sarabhai has been awarded by the Indian government with the national civilian awards Padma Bhushan in 1992 and the Padma Shri in 1965. She was honoured with the Degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa (LittD) by the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK in 1997. She was also the first Indian to receive the medal and Diploma of the French Archives Internationales de la Danse. She was nominated to the Executive Committee of the International Dance Council, Paris in 1990 and awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, New Delhi in 1994. She was presented with a gold medal by the Mexican Government for her choreography for the Ballet Folklorico of Mexico.

1998

The Darpana Academy of Performing Arts celebrated its golden Jubilee on 28 December 1998, with the announcement of the annual "Mrinalini Sarabhai Award for Classical Excellence", in the field of classical dance.

2013

She was the first recipient of the Nishagandhi Puraskaram, an annual award of the Government of Kerala. The award was presented in 2013.

2016

She was admitted to hospital on 20 January 2016 and died the next day at the age of 97."My mother just left for her eternal dance," her daughter, leading danseuse, actor and Activist Mallika Sarabhai, said in a Facebook post announcing the death

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