SSC
Alarmel Valli, known for the Pandanallur style, is an exponent of which dance form?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option A — Bharatanatyam
Detailed Solution
Explanation
Alarmel Valli, born in 1956 in Chennai, is one of the most celebrated Bharatanatyam dancers of India. She is an exponent of the Pandanallur style (bani) of Bharatanatyam, which she learnt from the great guru Pandanallur Chokkalingam Pillai and his son Subbaraya Pillai.
The Pandanallur style is named after the village of Pandanallur in Tamil Nadu. It is known for its geometric precision, clean lines and dignified, restrained expression, and it is associated with the line of the Tanjore Quartet and with the nattuvanar Meenakshisundaram Pillai, who also taught Rukmini Devi Arundale. Alarmel Valli is known for her deep, poetic interpretation of the texts she dances, especially classical Tamil Sangam poetry, and for her graceful, sculptural movements. She has performed at major festivals around the world. She founded Deepasikha, a centre for Bharatanatyam in Chennai. She received the Padma Shri (1991), the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2001) and the Padma Bhushan (2004), and the French government made her a Chevalier of Arts and Letters.
Other famous Bharatanatyam dancers include Rukmini Devi Arundale, Balasaraswati, Yamini Krishnamurthy, Padma Subrahmanyam, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Malavika Sarukkai, Leela Samson and Anita Ratnam.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Kathak is associated with dancers such as Pandit Birju Maharaj, Sitara Devi and Shovana Narayan.
- ✗Kuchipudi is associated with dancers such as Vempati Chinna Satyam and Raja and Radha Reddy.
- ✗Manipuri is associated with dancers such as Guru Bipin Singh and the Jhaveri sisters.
💡 Exam tip
The Pandanallur, Vazhuvoor, Thanjavur, Kalakshetra and Mysore styles all belong to Bharatanatyam. If a question mentions any of these styles, the dance form is Bharatanatyam.💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Art & Culture Personalities Questions
View all ›- Q1.Gunakanta Dutta Borbayan received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contribution to which dance form?
- Q2.Charu Sija Mathur is a name that is synonymous with which dance form?
- Q3.Sonal Mansingh is a famous exponent of which classical dance?
- Q4.'The Unforgettables', a famous collection of semi-classical ghazals, was released by which artist?
- Q5.Teejan Bai, an exponent of Pandwani, a traditional storytelling art form, belongs to which state?
More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Art & Culture Personalities — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Art & Culture Personalities, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the people behind India's art and culture: classical and folk dancers, vocalists and instrumentalists, painters, sculptors, theatre and film personalities, and the gurus who founded or revived art forms. Questions also cover the art form each person is known for and the honours they have received. Exams typically name a person and ask for their art form, or name an art form and ask who popularised it. Recent Padma award winners from the arts appear often, so link each name to the field and state the award was given for. Since award lists change every year, always revise from the latest official list rather than relying on older notes. Practise the art and culture personalities questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.