ALARMEL VALLI - PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The group consists of 3 non-vegetarians and 3 vegetarians, although the non-vegetarians do not insist for non-vegetarian food. Vasu, Shakthi and Valli's mother are non-vegetarian. Akkrai, Gomathy and Valli are vegetarians.
The group can be split, but Valli would prefer that the three women are housed in the same place.
Please avoid basement rooms for Valli and her mother due to health concerns.
The names of the group and the bio data are as follows:-
1. Ms. Alarmel Valli - Dancer/Choreographer
2. Mrs. Uma Muthukumaraswamy - Group Manager
3. Mr. Gomathi Nayagam - Vocalist
4. Mr. C.K. Vasudevan - Nattuvanar / Cymbals
5. Mr. S. Sakthivel Muruganantham - Percussionist
6. Ms. S. Akkarai Subhalakshmi - Violinist
Alarmel Valli
Valli's information has been given is a separate document or can be downloaded from www.alarmelvalli.com.
Mrs Uma Muthukumaraswamy :
Mrs. Muthukumaraswamy is Alarmel Valli's mother, who has been her mentor,
guide and manager for the 33 years that she has been dancing for audiences. She has travelled with Valli on all her tours, both within the country and abroad. She has had 33 years of experience in arts management and in working with make-up and technical stage requirements, and is indispensible. In fact, her mother is the most important member of her group and no tour of hers would be possible without her mother's support.
Mr. S. Saktivel Muruganantham:
Born into an illustrious family of musicians. Muruganantham is one of South India's finest percussionists. He has been playing the mridangam(South Indian drum)for my dance, for ten years. The mridangam is an integral part of a classical dance performance, rhythm plays a vital role. Muruganantham is a master of rhythm and has not only been able to follow the intricate footwork which is charecteristic of Valli's dance, but he is also able to embellish the dance with rhythmic improvisations.
This talented percussionist has accompanied Valli on many of her tours abroad and has played for her at many of India's most prestigious festivals. He has performed as a member of her group at major International festivals like the The Theatre de la Ville Festival in Paris, The Bergen Festival, The Madrid Festival, The Venice Biennale, The San Antonio Theatre Festival, Pina Bausch's Wuppertal Tanz Theater Festival in Germany, The festival at the Royal Albert Hall for the joint celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of Independence opf India and Pakistan.
Muruganantham has performed widely both in India and abroad, as a member of Valli's group and also with many famous dancers like Ms.Chithra Visveshwaran. He has also won recognition and merit as a very fine teacher of percussion and has many talented students. He has also had the honour of performing with Valli before the King and Queen of Norway, Queen Beatrix of Netherlands and Prince Charles of England. He is an invaluable member of Valli's orchestra.
Mr. C.K Vasudevan:
Vasudevan Is an extremely talented percussionist who has trained under the renowned maestro Mr. Umayalpuram Sivaraman. He is also Valli's student in the fine art of Nattuvangam, which involves the use of cymbals and the uttering of rhythmic solfa syllables. It is a very difficult art that Vasudevan has mastered to perfection in the ten years that he has been Valli's student. Valli has trained him specially in the rhythmic intricacies and nuances of her particular school of dance - The Pandanallur tradition
and he has been an asset in her performances for the last eight years.
Vasudevan has performed widely with Valli in the major festivals and theatres of India, like The Elephanta Caves Festival, the Ellora Festival, The Music Academy festival in Madras, The Kala Goda Festival, The Khajuraho Festival, The Soorya Festival, to name but a few. He has also accompanied Valli abroad, to perform at The Venice Biennale in Italy, at the San Antonio Festival in Texas and at the Neelan Thiruchelvam Commemoration Festival in Sri Lanka. Vasudevan also regularly performs for Government functions and as an accompanist for Indian Television programmes-Doordarshan.
Nattuvangam is an art that requires total co-ordination between dancer and nattuvanar. In his many years of study and work with Valli, Vasudevan has understood her dance and its nuances. He is therefore, one of very few accompanists who can interpret the inticacies of Valli's personal dance style.
Ms. AKKARAI S. SUBHALAKSHMI:
Akkarai S. Subhalakshmi, a child prodigy, started giving violin solo and vocal performances at the age of eight. She is today a well recognised violinist, with an extensive repertoire to her credit, who has performed in leading music festivals in India. She has provided violin accompaniment to many leading solo concert singers. Subhalakshmi has also been featured frequently on the National Television Networks in Madras, Delhi and other cities in India.
Akkarai Subhalakshmi has won the DELHI STATE FIRST AWARD in a vocal competition in 1994, conducted by the SANGAM KALA GROUP. She has won 6 Gold
medals and two silver medals from the NEHRU BAL SAMITI New Delhi (both for vocal and violin) and she has been awarded the KALA SHREE AWARD in 1995 by the same institution. She is a holder of the CCRT (Centre for cultural Resources & Training) talent scholarship since 1994 for her violin expertise.
She has accompanied Alarmel Valli, as a member of the orchestra, to leading International Festivals like - The Niigata Asian Cultural Festival in Japan, the Bologna Festival, the Berlin International Festival, the Festivals in Reggio Emilia and Ferrara in Italy, Remschied in Germany and Angers in France. Alarmel Valli will be presenting her as a soloist, at the famous Theatre de la Ville in Paris in April 2002, during Alarmel Valli's own performance series in that Theatre.
Gomathi Nayagam:
A talented young vocalist of the classical Carnatic (South Indian) music tradition, Gomathi Nayagam has a Master's Degree in Music from the University of Madras (South India). He has also had advanced training in singing, under renowned musicians - Mr. B Rajam Iyer and Mrs. R Vedavalli. He has received a Higher Teacher's Training Diploma from the Teacher's College of Music, of the prestigious Music Academy, Madras and also completed Grade VIII in Western Music, from The Trinity College of Music, London. Mr. Nayagam has been singing professionally for the past eight years
and performed in many leading cultural venues in Madras and other Indian cities. He has also had the privilege to perform along with the maestro B. Rajam Iyer, at many of his concerts. The renowned Music Academy of Madras has recognised his talent in various music competitions and awarded him prizes.
Currently, Gomathi Nayagam is a member of the orchestra of internationally acclaimed Bharatanatyam dancer Alarmel Valli and has been studying and working on Dance Music with her. He has also been invited by her to be a staff member of 'Dipasikha - A Centre for the Performing Arts.