In 1968, Mrinalini Sarabhai received a gold medal from the Mexican government for choreography for:

Explanation

In 1968, the Government of Mexico awarded a gold medal to the Indian dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai for her choreography for the Ballet Folklorico of Mexico, a famous dance company that presents the folk dances of Mexico. This was a rare international honour for an Indian dancer and showed her standing as a choreographer.

Mrinalini Sarabhai (1918-2016) came from a distinguished family of Kerala. Her mother was Ammu Swaminathan, a freedom fighter and member of the Constituent Assembly, and her sister was Captain Lakshmi Sahgal of the Indian National Army. She studied briefly at Santiniketan under Rabindranath Tagore, which inspired her interest in dance, and trained in Bharatanatyam under Meenakshisundaram Pillai of Pandanallur and in Kathakali under Thakazhi Kunchu Kurup. She married the scientist Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space programme, in 1942 and settled in Ahmedabad.

In 1949, she founded the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts in Ahmedabad, which became a leading centre for training in Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, puppetry and theatre. She created more than 300 dance-dramas and was known for using classical dance to tell new stories and to address social issues. She performed in many countries and wrote books on dance. She received the Padma Shri (1965) and the Padma Bhushan (1992). Her daughter, Mallika Sarabhai, is also a famous dancer, actress and activist who now leads Darpana.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Bolshoi Ballet is the famous ballet company of Moscow, Russia.
• ✗The Royal Ballet is the famous ballet company of London, United Kingdom.
• ✗Kalakshetra is the dance institution founded in Chennai by Rukmini Devi Arundale.