About Shaly Vijayan
Mrs. Shaly Vijayan is an excellent Bharathanatyam dancer and Mohini Attam dancer and teacher. She has been passionately in love with Indian classical Dances from her childhood. Her innate and undying love for classical dance drove her to Smt. Rukmini Devi’s world renowned A Kalakshetra college of fine arts, Chennai, India for further grooming in Bharathanatyam.
From kalakshetra Mrs. Shaly received a diploma and post diploma, both with first class. She had the rare privilege of being trained under Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale.
Mrs. Shaly has been taking major roles in the dance-dramas of Kalakshetra in India and Abroad, since 1983. She has been acclaimed for her neat and precise Adavus and mastering the subtle nuances of Abinaya. She is not only an accomplished solo performer but also an expert dance teacher understanding each student’s ability and difficulty and moulding them according to their capacity. She is currently a senior lecturer in bharathanatyam at her Alma mater, the Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai.
A product of the renowned Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai, and Kerala Kalamandalam, Shaly Vijayan is a Bharatanatyam exponent, choreographer and guru based in Chennai, India. A graceful performer with fluid movements and nuanced expressions, Shaly has performed widely in India and all over the world even as she continues to serve as a senior member on the faculty of Kalakshetra Foundation.
Her style is a refreshing blend of the crispness and precision of the Kalakshetra baani infused with the gentle grace of her Mohiniattam training. After her early training at Kerala Kalamandalam where she obtained a diploma in both Bharatanatyam and Mohiniattam, Shaly entered Kalakshetra where was among the final generation of dancers to train under the legendary Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale. Over the course of her rigorous seven year post graduate training at Kalakshetra, she had the opportunity to learn from a range of stalwarts and gurus including Smt. N. S. Jayalakshmi, Smt. Uma Rao and Smt. Krishnaveni Lakshman.
Over the years, she has essayed a range of key roles in the dance dramas of Kalakshetra as well as featuring in solo and group performances at leading venues around the world. Her exuberant and arresting stage presence make her a sought after performer and she is also skilled in nattuvangam.