The Music Academy Madras condoles the passing of Nritya Kalanidhi Lakshmi Viswanathan.

Born on January 12, 1944 to Alamelu and K Viswanathan at Bangalore, Lakshmi belonged to a family well-known for its association with the classical arts, and the Thanjavur tradition in particular. She began her tutelage in dance under Guru Kausalya of the Vazhuvur Ramaiya Pillai school. Later she trained under Guru Kanchipuram Ellappa. She was also taught by Courtallam Ganesa Pillai and Sankari Krishnan of the Thanjavur Kittappa Pillai school.

Lakshmi trained in music under her mother and later was taught by Tediyur Narayanaswami, Thiruvaiyyaru Krishnamurthy and Sangita Kala Acharya T Mukta. Her dance arangetram was in 1952 and presided over by E Krishna Iyer, founder secretary of the Music Academy, Madras.

Lakshmi’s dance, known for its in-depth research and scholarly approach, won her accolades the world over and she performed in numerous national and international venues. Beginning with the traditional margam, she moved on to thematic solo performances, group shows and dance theatre productions. A graduate and gold medallist in English Literature from the Queen Mary’s College, Madras, Lakshmi was a captivating speaker and a writer, with newspaper columns and books to her credit.

Looked upon as a dancer’s dancer, Lakshmi Viswanathan was an iconic personality with the rare intellectual capacity to communicate the whole gamut of Bharatanatyam’s beauty, classicism and intensity to a global audience. Her commitment to excellence over several decades made her dance an uncompromising ode to subtlety and beauty in classical art. The Music Academy, Madras conferred on her the Nrtya Kalanidhi in 2018. Lakshmi was besides a member of the Music Academy, Madras since 1984 and also served as Vice President on its Executive Committee from 1998 to 2011.