Born in 1957, Alarmel Valli is one of the foremost exponents of the Pandanallur tradition in
Bharatanatyam. She has won laurels several times in the major festivals in India and in almost all the cultural capitals of the world. Married to Bhaskar Ghosh, former Information and Broadcasting secretary and former director general of Doordarshan, Alarmel settled down abroad after marriage.
She was invited to perform at the International Dance Festival of the Sarah Bernardt Theater De La Ville in Paris at the tender age of 16. From then onwards, she toured widely and received acclaim for her performances in leading theaters almost all over the world. Besides, she has also given lecture demonstrations, classes, workshops, and seminars and has helped to create an international awareness of Bharatanatyam.
Valli was trained by renowned gurus Shri Chokkalingam Pillai and his son Shri Subbaraya Pillai. She learned Odissi under guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and his disciple guru Ramani Ranjan Jena. Valli has done research work for around 12 years on classical Tamil anthologies of Sangam poetry.
Among the many honors and awards to her credit are the State award of Kalaimamani, title of Nrithya Choodamani, Padmashree, Grande Medaille de la Ville de Paris, and the Sangeet Natak Akademy award. She founded the Dipashikha, a center for performing arts, which imparts training for budding talents.
