About
Narthaki Nataraj is a distinguished Bharatanatyam dancer of the Thanjavur Nayaki bhava tradition, honoured with the Padma Shri. A disciple of Guru K. P. Kittappa Pillai of the Thanjavur quartet lineage, she is celebrated for her mastery of abhinaya, and made history as the first transgender artist to receive the Padma Shri.
Overcoming great hardship, Narthaki Nataraj trained under Guru K. P. Kittappa Pillai, a descendant of the Thanjavur quartet, mastering the Nayaki bhava tradition. She built a distinguished performing and teaching career, and in 2019 became the first transgender person to receive the Padma Shri, a landmark moment in Indian arts, while continuing to preserve and transmit her guru's tradition.
The artistry
Nataraj is renowned for her deeply expressive Nayaki bhava, the portrayal of the heroine in Bharatanatyam, rooted in the classical Thanjavur repertoire and its refined abhinaya. Her artistry preserves a rare and demanding tradition at the highest level.
[Atlas Perspective] Narthaki Nataraj is a distinguished Bharatanatyam dancer of a rare tradition and a historic trailblazer. For festivals and cultural programmes, she is a strong, distinctive choice.
Narthaki Nataraj preserves the rare Thanjavur Nayaki bhava tradition at the highest level, and, as the first transgender Padma Shri recipient, stands as a landmark figure in Indian dance and in the widening of who is honoured within it.