Kalamandalam Vimala Menon
A Mohiniyattam dancer and teacher who shaped the modern style of the dance and has trained over 10,000 students, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
Much of what audiences see in Mohiniyattam today, from its costumes and hair to its music and stage presentation, carries the mark of Kalamandalam Vimala Menon. In 2026 she was named for the Padma Shri in the field of art, from Kerala [1].
Kerala Natya Academy
Vimala Menon was born on 7 January 1942 [2]. In 1972 she founded the Kerala Natya Academy to teach India’s classical dance forms, later extending its work to Malaysia and Singapore [2]. Her motto has been “Art is for everyone”: she has taught poor students free for life, paying for their training and performances herself [2]. Over five generations she has trained more than 10,000 students, and she was the first to bring Kuchipudi teaching to Kerala [2].
Shaping the dance
She is trained in Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam and Kuchipudi, and built a step-by-step training system that draws on all three [2]. In Mohiniyattam she moved from solo pieces to group choreography and brought in Kerala percussion such as the edakka, timila and maddalam [2]. She has written books on dance, including Laasya Mohini [2], and has taken Mohiniyattam to audiences in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Australia and the US [2].
In 2006 she set a Guinness World Record by presenting 1,200 Mohiniyattam dancers on a single stage [2]. Her other honours include the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2006) and the Kerala Sree award (2025) [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2026: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2026 investiture ceremony brochure: citation for Kalamandalam Vimala Menon — Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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