Kalamandalam Satyabhama Biography 
Kalamandalam Satyabhama was a renowned classical dancer and teacher from Shornur, Palakkad. She also choreographed many dance shows. She performs Kerala’s traditional Mohiniyattam, and is widely regarded as a matriarch of the classical dance form. She also knew Bharathnatyam and many other traditional dance forms of India. For her overall contributions to the world of art, government of India honoured her with Padma Shri in 2014. She passed away one year later. This doyen of Mohiniyattam lived during the period, 4 November 1937 – 13 September 2015. She was married to renowned Kathakali artist Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair, and they met for the first time while at Kerala Kalamandalam.
Kalamandalam V. Satyabhama was born on 4 November 1937 in Shornur, Palakkad. She was born into a middle class family with financial difficulties. Her father Krishnan Nair was a petty businessman and her mother Ammini Amma, a homemaker. She started learning dance, at a very early age after joining Kerala Mandalam. While at dance school, she got opportunity to learn under Kalamandalam Achutha Warrier and Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Warrier. She was schooling at Government High School, Shornur then.
After 8th standard, she became a full-time student of Kalamandalam. Then only she started giving more preference to Mohiniyattom. She received training from Thottassery Chinnammu Amma, one of the leading dance teachers of the dance institution. She learnt some of the important dance steps from her renowned guru. Seeing her talent Vallathol Narayana Menon offered her a scholarship so that she could complete her studies. Since 1955 she became regular with her stage performances.
It was on the eve of silver jubilee celebrations of Kerala Kalamandalam in 1955, she gave her first performance. The function was witnessed by then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. She continued her association with Kalamandalam for the next 6 years, during which she mastered different art forms like Bharathnatyam and Kathakali, and later she performed these dance forms on stage as well.
Published: September 04, 2018
Updated: September 04, 2018
