Kalakshetra Vilasini

Kalakshetra Vilasini (born 1940) is an Indian Bharatanatyam dancer from Kerala. Vilasini, who won first place in Bharatanatyam at the Kerala University Youth Festival, is also the first person from Kerala to get admission to the Kalakshetra of renowned dancer Rukmini Devi Arundale. She is the recipient of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award in 1995.

Life and career

Vilasini started practising Bharatanatyam at the age of 12. After gaining admission as a teacher at Tripunithura RLV Sangeetha Academy, she was the only artist selected by the Government of Kerala in 1958 to sent to Kalakshetra in Chennai for training under Rukmini Devi Arundale. Vilasini started a dance school named Nrityasree at her home in Ernakulam to provide training in Bharatanatyam in Gurukula style. In 1995, she retired from RLV as the Head of the Department of Bharatanatyam. The same year, she was honoured with the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award.